The Washington Commanders coaching staff is still undergoing changes. After hiring David Blough as offensive coordinator and Daronte Jones as defensive coordinator, the Commanders now need to fill the rest of the gaps.
One of the things the Commanders are focused on this offseason is improving the pass rush, and to do that, it sounds like they plan additional changes.
Right now, Ryan Kerrigan is the Commanders’ assistant linebackers coach and pass rush specialist. He was drafted by the Redskins in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft and played 10 seasons in Washington, where he is the franchise’s all-time sack leader. After one season (2021) with the Philadelphia Eagles, Kerrigan retired from playing and pivoted to coaching.
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It won’t be easy for fans to accept that Kerrigan might be gone in 2026, but when he joined the Commanders as a coach, they were third in overall defense in his first season (2022). In 2023, they dropped to last in the league. In 2024, they rebounded a bit to the middle of the pack, but in 2025, they were back at the bottom of the rankings.
That’s not Kerrigan’s fault, of course, but head coach Dan Quinn could be looking to shake things up in order to improve a struggling unit. When Kerrigan first joined Washington’s staff, he served as an assistant defensive line coach for the first two seasons before moving to his current role in 2024, when Quinn was hired as head coach.
With a new defensive coordinator, it stands to reason that the Commanders would let him bring in some of his own staff. That doesn’t automatically mean that Kerrigan won’t be retained, but his role will likely shift, and someone Daronte Jones picks will handle the pass rushers.
This won’t be the last coaching change we hear about in 2026. The Commanders are serious about getting this team back to its 2024 form and making a serious postseason run.
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This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Commanders’ defensive coaching staff is fluid after Daronte Jones hire