Dan Quinn goes direction nobody expected as Commanders hire highly coveted defensive coordinator candidate
The Commanders make a surprising, but high-upside, defensive coordinator hire in Daronte Jones.
The Washington Commanders started their search for a new defensive coordinator after parting ways with Joe Whitt Jr as soon as the season ended, and it’s been a long, thorough process.
After interviewing nine different candidates with a multitude of different backgrounds and experiences, they finally landed on their new defensive coordinator, and fans should be excited about the hire. Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores turned down Washington after interviewing with the team, so the Commanders decided to poach one of his top assistants and bring his system over, and it’s not a retread who coached with Dan Quinn in the past.
The Commanders have hired Daronte Jones as the new defensive coordinator
The Commanders interviewed experienced play-callers like Jonathan Gannon, and many thought that Quinn was waiting on his former coaching buddy, Raheem Morris, to take the job. That’s not the case at all, as the Commanders hired an up-and-coming assistant coach in Daronte Jones, who was a highly coveted candidate in this coaching cycle.
Jones has been Flores’ top assistant coach in Minnesota as the defensive passing game coordinator and a crucial part of their dominating defense. The Vikings’ passing offense allowed the second-fewest passing yards in 2025 and the seventh-lowest completion percentage as well. This is an area where the Commanders struggled all season long, and gave up way too many explosive plays on the backend of the defense.
Washington allowed the fifth most passing yards at 242 yards per game, and it desperately needed a change. This is a surprising hire, however, and it’s clear that Quinn is willing to risk hiring a first-time play-caller for his upside, instead of bringing in another defensive coordinator who was let go by another team.
Dan Quinn banks on ceiling over familiarity with defensive coordinator hire
This was the opposite of what we expected from Quinn, and it shows that he realized he messed up by keeping Whitt Jr. around way too long, and that the defense needed fresh ideas and a new system. Jones has never run his own defense or called plays before, but his resume shows results over the past few seasons. He’ll be bringing over a Flores defense that was highly coveted this offseason, and Jones interviewed with at least five other teams looking for a new defensive coordinator.
The Commanders will have two new coordinators who have never been the head guy before, and that can seem like a bold move, but it may be the right one. If something doesn’t work, don’t repeat it; make a change, even if it comes with a lot of unknowns. Quinn is a defensive head coach as well, so the transition will be much easier, and Jones will learn from Quinn along the way as well.
Overall, this is a move that should excite fans, and it’s a much better hire than bringing in Morris or another older coach. Jones’ defense will be a juiced-up unit that this roster needed, and general manager Adam Peters has to get to work this offseason and find the right pieces to fit it.
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