Commanders head coach Dan Quinn addresses changes at the offensive and defensive coordinator positions
ASHBURN, Va. — At the 2024 introductory press conference for new head coach Dan Quinn, Commanders owner Josh Harris emphasized that the search process was about finding “the best leader for Washington football. Someone we felt would lead Washington to be an elite franchise.”
Now, the people interviewed for the role weren’t motivational speakers. This wasn’t a TED Talk audition. Only football people needed to apply.
The belief was that they found the proper mix in Quinn, the former Cowboys defensive coordinator and Falcons head coach known for his ability to connect with players and coaches on a human level. Quinn explained that after his six-year stint with Atlanta ended in his firing, he commissioned a 360-degree examination of his head-coaching approach. One takeaway: “Trying to take on too much at times.”
Therefore, with his second head-coaching opportunity, Quinn intended to dial back any tendency toward micromanaging his coordinators and assistants. To truly delegate. Mission accomplished. He hired former Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury, a play-caller who needs no hand-holding, to run the offense. Defensively, Quinn tabbed his longtime assistant, Joe Whitt Jr., to helm that unit.
Football X’s and O’s remained central to Quinn’s responsibilities upon taking over the team following a 4-13 season under the previous coaching staff and front office. Even though Whitt would call plays, the defensive scheme remained Quinn’s from their time together in Dallas. He was delegating the microphone, not the blueprint.
Following a bumpy 2024 and a brutal 10-game start to the 2025 campaign, Quinn took over play-calling duties. Now those responsibilities fall to Daronte Jones, Washington’s newly hired coordinator and play-caller. Unlike Whitt, Jones won’t be running Quinn’s system.
Harris and Peters can still have their desired leader of men. But with Quinn turning over his side of the ball to someone outside his coaching tree, they no longer have the full version of the defensive architect they hired in 2024. More than in the past two seasons, Quinn will be the CEO rather than the DC.