Jan. 13, 2026, 11:43 a.m. ET
The Washington Commanders are in a bit of a rebuild with their coaching staff this offseason. Dan Quinn remains as head coach, but they fired their offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, and offensive line coach. Interviews and interview requests are being scheduled and sent, and a new face has emerged in the quest to find a defensive coordinator.
The latest name to emerge is a big one: current Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores.
Flores first joined the NFL coaching ranks in 2008 when he was hired by the New England Patriots as their special teams assistant. That also happened to coincide with Washington GM Adam Peters’ final year with the Patriots as a scout, so there is some familiarity there. He remained with the Patriots in various capacities through the 2018 season.
In 2019, Flores was hired as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins. That lasted through 2021, and Flores spent 2022 with the Pittsburgh Steelers as a senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach until he joined the Minnesota Vikings in 2023 as their defensive coordinator.
As his contract is up this year, the Commanders do not have to seek permission to interview Flores because it’s the same position. We’ll keep you updated as to when the interview is set to take place.
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Flores is also a candidate for head coaching openings, but this interview is a big one for Washington. The Commanders promoted David Blough last week to offensive coordinator, replacing Kliff Kingsbury.