The Washington Commanders will have a new defensive coordinator in 2026, even if head coach Dan Quinn isn’t ready to talk about it.

In preparation for Sunday’s regular-season finale, Quinn was asked if he had given much thought to who would be his defensive coordinator in 2026.

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“You know, honestly, I’m just trying to stay in the pocket of where I’m at today, and I’m not in the reflective space, I’m kind of still in the go for it space with the guys,” Quinn said. “So, I recognize the question, but I guess I owe it to this crew to just, you know, be as locked and present as I can for them. That’s really important to me.”

That’s a professional and respectful answer from Quinn. He’s been serving as Washington’s defensive play-caller since demoting defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. ahead of the Week 11 game against the Miami Dolphins. Whitt and Quinn are close. Quinn first began working with Whitt in 2020, when he hired him in Atlanta to be the Falcons’ secondary coach/defensive pass game coordinator. After Quinn was fired in Atlanta, he landed in Dallas as the defensive coordinator in 2021. Whitt joined him there for three seasons until Washington hired Quinn as head coach in 2024. Quinn then hired Whitt to be his defensive coordinator, giving him the responsibility of calling defensive plays for the first time in his coaching career.

Sadly, things didn’t go well for Whitt. It wasn’t all his fault. The Commanders lacked talent on the defensive side of the ball, and there have been questions about Quinn’s scheme being outdated. It didn’t help Whitt’s case, though, that several individual players regressed in 2025. Washington’s defense improved somewhat under Quinn’s watch, as he simplified coverages, but Dallas ran 87 plays against the Commanders last week, doing almost anything it wanted.

Quinn will bring in a new defensive coordinator. Whitt is not returning. There is no path for him to return as the defensive play-caller, so Quinn, being the friend and mentor he is, just took over the defensive play-calling instead of firing Whitt. The question is, will Quinn hire someone who has coached under him before, or go outside of the coaching tree in an effort to turn things around in a critical 2026 season?

This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Quinn not ready to talk defensive coordinator