Commanders' Dan Quinn bolsters coaching staff by poaching valuable coach from Super Bowl LVIII team
The Washington Commanders are building a pretty solid coaching staff ahead of the 2024 NFL season. Although concerns about hiring Dan Quinn as head coach are well-founded, it's only fair to say a head coach's success often hinges on the staff he builds around him and things are looking quite promising. Even more so following […]
The Washington Commanders are building a pretty solid coaching staff ahead of the 2024 NFL season.
Although concerns about hiring Dan Quinn as head coach are well-founded, it's only fair to say a head coach's success often hinges on the staff he builds around him and things are looking quite promising. Even more so following his latest addition to the staff.
The Commanders are hiring San Francisco 49ers assistant head coach and running backs coach Anthony Lynn to be their run game coordinator, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. Per Schefter, the move was made possible thanks to Lynn's close relationship with Quinn and GM Adam Peters.
This is a massive deal in a league where the Shanahan offense has taken over. The 49ers' run game has been one of the best in the NFL for years now thanks to how they use wide zone concepts and tie it into their passing game. Lynn has spent the last two years under Shanahan, maximizing Christian McCaffrey's talent in the process. Additionally, he has plenty of coaching experience including his days as head coach of the L.A. Chargers (2017-2020).
Although Lynn didn't originate from it, he can now be considered a part of the Shanahan coaching tree, which has seen plenty off success when replicated across the league. Quinn himself has significantly struggled against such style of offense.
Considering the Commanders' new offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury is considered a passing game guru, the offensive coaching staff being put together in Washington is headed in the right direction. It'll be all about tying it the two aspects of the offense ahead of 2024.
As for defense, Quinn is building the staff he wanted from the start, making Joe Whitt Jr. his defensive coordinator after years of working together in Dallas. In those days, Whitt Jr. was Quinn's right-hand man. After spending all those games in the coaching booth next to Quinn, he knows what kind of defense his head coach wants in Washington.
Quinn also recently poached Sharrif Floyd from the Cowboys as their assistant DL coach.
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