Feb. 1, 2026, 4:01 a.m. ET

Former Washington Commanders defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. has yet to be hired.

Whitt was fired after the 2025 season, in which the Commanders finished 5-12 and had one of the worst defenses in the NFL. There were injuries, of course, but even as early as Week 2 in a Thursday Night game at Green Bay, Whitt’s defense looked lost.

Repeatedly, Packers receivers were open, and the most glaring weakness for the defense that night was their utter inability to cover the tight end. Packers tight end Tucker Kraft was open all night, whether Jordan Love threw to him or not. Kraft enjoyed a career night against Whitt’s defense, catching six passes for 124 yards, including a long reception of 57 yards.

The game was an omen of what was to come in 2025 from the Whitt defense. Defensive backs were not in position to contest receptions, and the pass rush was at times non-existent. After being clearly outplayed by the Packers, the Commanders’ defense gave up 34 points to the Falcons. 44 to the Cowboys, 38 to the Seahawks, and 44 to the Lions, in a game where the Lions scored every single possession until they were simply running out the clock.

Following the game, head coach Dan Quinn took the defensive play-calling duties away from Whitt. Whitt remained with the staff the remainder of the season. Whitt and Quinn are friends, having worked together in Dallas for three seasons (2021-2023) while Quinn was the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator. Quinn brought Whitt to Washington, hiring him to be his defensive coordinator.

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Whitt coached the defensive secondary of the Packers from 2008-2017 and was their defensive passing game coordinator for 2018. Consequently, though not yet hired by anyone, one possibility to consider is the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers hired Mike McCarthy as their new head coach last week. McCarthy was the Packers’ head coach from 2006 to 2018. Pittsburgh has already hired one Washington defensive coach, signing away defensive passing game coordinator Jason Simmons. Simmons also worked with McCarthy and Whitt in Green Bay.

So, McCarthy and Whitt worked together for many years. Perhaps we will hear this week that Joe Whitt is going to the Steelers. Although his defense was not strong in either season, he was the defensive coordinator for Washington. We do wish him well in his future career moves.