Only a few weeks after they fired Ron Rivera as head coach, the Washington Commanders found themselves in an extremely strange situation.
They are one of the two clubs remaining to select their next captain of men, along with the Seattle Seahawks, out of the eight NFL teams who had head coach openings this offseason.
This places them in an unusual situation because among the wild field of contenders are former NFL players Dan Quinn, Mike Vrabel, and even Bill Belichick. However, it also has a number of the league’s rising stars, such as Bobby Slowik, Mike Macdonald, and Ben Johnson.
Right now, it appears like the Commanders’ new front office has a tremendous selection, so it won’t be easy for them to pass up on anyone they choose. These coaches, according to numerous reports, have at least one more interview scheduled.
Lions OC Texans Ben Johnson OC DC’s Bobby Slowik Cowboys Dan Quinn Lions DC Anthony Weaver, the Ravens DC, is the DL coach for Aaron Glenn. Macdonald, Mike
I think it’s obvious which way the Commanders should be moving as things are about to become hotter next week with the conference championship games on Sunday.
Leaders ought to have a strong preference for one direction.
It is impossible to have this conversation without addressing the big issue at hand: The second overall choice in the NFL Draft of 2024 belongs to the Commanders.
That would be a big deal in any year, but it’s especially significant now that Caleb Williams and Drake Maye are on their way to becoming professionals. Put another way, Washington will probably get to select one of the two greatest quarterback prospects available, who also happen to be among the best in recent memory.
A front office that is supposed to do things the modern way is likely to prioritize the development of their signal-caller, and hiring an offensive wizard as head coach is the best way to achieve so given that the Commanders play in a league where quarterback play is king.
With the way offensive coordinators are now priced in the market, you not only get an outstanding offensive coordinator to help develop the quarterback, but you also lessen the chance that your coordinator will eventually leave to take a head coaching position.
There’s good reason to think the Commanders are leaning toward selecting either Slowik or Johnson. It’s no secret that the former has connections to new general manager Adam Peters, having worked together with the 49ers in San Francisco, and that he will have the opportunity to “lock down” the position when he meets with the Commanders on Tuesday.
It would be surprising, in my opinion, if the Commanders leaned toward anyone other than those two.
