Dan Quinn goes outside of his coaching tree for popular defensive coordinator candidate who is a top target for many teams
The Commanders are set to interview former Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon for their open defensive coordinator job this week.
The Washington Commanders decided to start fresh when the season ended, and head coach Dan Quinn finally moved on from his long-time right-hand man, Joe Whitt Jr.
Now Quinn must make a key hire and find the next defensive coordinator to fix the worst defense in the league last season. This hire could save Quinn’s job or be the final straw for the defensive-minded head coach.
Quinn may have learned his lesson with hiring his close friends, as the Commanders are set to interview one big-name candidate this week.
Commanders set to interview Jonathan Gannon for defensive coordinator position
The Commanders will be linked to coaches like Raheem Morris and Jeff Ulbrich because of their connection to Quinn, but he may need an outsider to come in and repair a damaged defense.
Jonathan Gannon was dismissed as the Cardinals’ head coach, but he is a popular defensive coordinator target for many teams, including the Commanders. Quinn is set to interview Gannon on Thursday, and they’ll need to be aggressive if they want him to be the guy.
The Commanders will have to compete with the Dallas Cowboys and Tennessee Titans, both of which are in the running to land Gannon. He may have been a terrible head coach, but he’s a quality defensive coordinator who gets the most out of his players, and they had to overcome a lot this season.
Why the Commanders should hire Jonathan Gannon
Gannon had significant success with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021 and 2022 as defensive coordinator, which earned him the head coaching job in Arizona. He runs a modern zone defense with blitz packages and coaches with a lot of passion. He also elevated his younger players, who had to step up this season. The Cardinals were decimated with injuries, especially on defense, and it was too much to overcome at times. He’s still just 43 years old and would be a fresh mind with new ideas for Quinn.
It would be interesting to see how Quinn’s old-school defense and Gannon’s more modern approach would mesh, and, of course, Quinn would have significant input. Quinn likely wants an experienced coach with a ton of play-calling experience. Gannon is the type of coach you can trust to run the defense, and Quinn can take care of his head coaching duties.