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Consistently strong defense has been a distant memory for the Washington Commanders, and head coach Dan Quinn was brought in to fix that. Now in his third season, Quinn finds himself on the hot seat, partly because Washington's defensive woes persist.
When Quinn took the job in 2024, he brought Joe Whitt Jr. with him from Dallas. Whitt struggled as defensive coordinator, though the issues weren't entirely his fault—Quinn's scheme has flaws, particularly against coaches from the Kyle Shanahan tree like Sean McVay and Matt LaFleur. After demoting Whitt last season and taking over playcalling, Quinn opted to hire a defensive coordinator from outside his own coaching tree, allowing that coordinator to implement his own scheme while Quinn focused on being a CEO-style coach.
At 1-4-1, with multiple game-management gaffes, Quinn's seat is hotter than ever. The defense, now led by Daronte Jones, has shown improvement but still has problems, some traceable to the secondary. The pass rush, in particular, should be better: Washington blitzes at the second-highest rate in the NFL but ranks only 24th in pressure rate. A completely new scheme could explain some of the issues—but perhaps not all.
Outside linebacker Odafe Oweh, in an interview with Ben Standig of the Last Man Standig Substack, shed light on the team's growing pains with the new defense. "A lot of times, the coaches are saying they probably didn't understand the way that Daronte saw it, so there's a miscommunication with that," Oweh said. "It takes way longer than what [those on the outside] think it is. It's not just, 'Oh, X is going here. The players should get it.' Sometimes there's a disconnect in communication and stuff like that."
When Standig posted his story, some misinterpreted Oweh's comments. But there was nothing confusing about them: Oweh didn't throw anyone under the bus; he thoughtfully answered a question that may offer insight into Washington's defensive staff.
When Quinn fired Whitt, should he have allowed his next coordinator, Jones, to pick all his position coaches? The only new defensive assistant is defensive line coach/run game coordinator Eric Henderson, one of the more respected defensive line coaches in the NFL and college football. However, Washington retained former defensive line coach Darryl Tapp as the new assistant D-Line coach. The Commanders also kept linebackers coach Ken Norton Jr. and secondary coaches Tommy Donatell (safeties) and William Gay (cornerbacks).
Norton should probably stick on any staff—he's a multi-time NFL defensive coordinator and arguably one of the top linebacker coaches in football. Jones, whose background is in the secondary, likely needed coaches familiar with him to teach his scheme to Washington's players. Instead, he got mostly holdovers from the previous staff. This is likely what led to the hiring of former NFL head coach and defensive coordinator Steve Wilks as a consultant. While Wilks and Jones don't have a history together, he's a respected NFL coach with experience in multiple defensive schemes. It seemed like everyone signed off on hiring Wilks. Wilks can help Washington's secondary, and several players have already said he's been helpful.
Why didn't Jones bring more of his own assistants? Was that a Quinn call? Or was that on GM Adam Peters? Or perhaps some of the coaches Jones wanted weren't available or didn't want to leave their current jobs. It's hard to know for sure, but it's a disadvantage for Jones.
Does it explain all of Washington's defensive issues? No, of course not. The unit has shown flashes of playing well and was outstanding in the second half of the Week 6 game against the 49ers. But the Commanders must be more consistent if they hope to turn their season around.
In reading Oweh's quote, one word sticks out: disconnect. That seems to be a theme this season. And that disconnect is not exclusive to the defensive side of the ball. Offensive coordinator David Blough has had his share of issues, too. Unless things change, it could be another offseason of change for the Commanders—two years after going 12-5 and reaching the NFC Championship Game.
Disconnect: it sums up Washington's 2026 issues in one simple word.
Originally reported by yahoo.