The Washington Commanders fired defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr and replaced him with Minnesota Vikings DBs coach/passing game coordinator Daronte Jones. Whitt had his playcalling duties stripped, and head coach Dan Quinn took over for the remainder of the season. There are a lot of questions about Jones, who hasn’t called plays in the NFL, and what his new coaching staff will look like.
Jason Simmons joined the Commanders after Quinn and Whitt were hired in 2024 as the defensive pass game coordinator. He interviewed with the Pittsburgh Steelers for their open defensive coordinator job under new head coach Mike McCarthy. That job went to former Las Vegas Raiders DC Patrick Graham, but Simmons will be joining his new coaching staff in Pittsburgh where he played safety for four seasons(1998-2001 Simmons is the first assistant coach to exit, but there will likely be a lot more changes on both sides of the ball with two new coordinators.
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Commanders current defensive coaches
Defensive Coordinator – Daronte Jones
Senior defensive assistant – John Pagano
Defensive backs – Tommy Donatell
Assistant DBs – William Gay
Linebackers – Ken Norton Jr
Assistant LBs/Pass rush specialist
Defensive line – Darryl Tapp
Assistant defensive line – Sharrif Floyd
Defensive quality control – George Banko