Last offseason, the Washington Commanders fired head coach Ron Rivera after four seasons at the helm. The organization was determined to turn around its defense, hiring former Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator and Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn.
With Quinn in his first season at the helm in Washington, who is on his coaching staff?
Washington Commanders Coaching Staff
Here are the names that comprise the Commanders’ staff alongside Quinn:
- Dan Quinn, Head Coach
- Dave Gardi, Senior Vice President of Football Initiatives
- Sarah Hogan, Coaching Chief of Staff
- Brian Johnson, Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Pass Game Coordinator
- Kliff Kingsbury, Offensive Coordinator
- David Blough, Assistant Quarterbacks
- Andre Coleman, Offensive Assistant
- Bobby Engram, Wide Receivers
- Bobby Johnson, Offensive Line
- Anthony Lynn, Run Game Coordinator/Running Backs
- Tavita Pritchard, Quarterbacks
- David Raih, Tight Ends
- Darnell Stapleton, Assistant Offensive Line
- Shane Toub, Offensive Quality Control
- Joe Whitt Jr., Defensive Coordinator
- George Banko, Defensive Quality Control
- Tommy Donatell, Defensive Backs
- Sharrif Floyd, Assistant Defensive Line
- William Gay, Assistant Defensive Line
- Ryan Kerrigan, Assistant Linebackers/Pass Rush Specialist
- Ken Norton Jr., Linebackers
- John Pagano, Senior Defensive Assistant
- Jason Simmons, Defensive Pass Game Coordinator
- Darryl Tapp, Defensive Line
- Larry Izzo, Special Teams Coordinator
- John Glenn, Assistant Special Teams
- Pete Ohnegian, Player Development Coach
While most of the staff is new, Quinn did retain three coaches from Rivera’s staff: Tavita Pritchard, Bobby Engram, and Ryan Kerrigan.
Kerrign moved from assistant defensive line to assistant linebackers coach and pass rush specialist. Kerrigan is in his third season as a coach after a long stint in Washington as a standout pass rusher.
Engram, a former wide receiver who played in the NFL from 1996-2010, has been Washington’s wide receivers coach since 2023. Despite Quinn taking over for Rivera, he’s still working with Terry McLaurin and Co. in the WR room.
Meanwhile, Pritchard has played a key role in developing No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels, who is the current frontrunner to win the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
New Additions to the Commanders’ Coaching Staff
Quinn hired several former head coaches on his staff. Former Los Angeles Chargers HC Anthony Lynn joins the staff as the run game coordinator and running backs coach.
Lynn coached Austin Ekeler with the Chargers, and now they’re reunited in Washington. The Commanders have a nice one-two punch in Ekeler and Brian Robinson Jr.
Former Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury is the Commanders’ offensive coordinator. After spending 2023 as an analyst for USC, Kingsbury has turned Washington into one of the top offenses in the league.
Quinn is a defensive-minded coach and will handle playcalling on that side of the ball. However, he did add Joe Whitt Jr. as the team’s defensive coordinator.
Whitt spent 2021-2023 as the Cowboys’ secondary/defensive passing game coordinator, so he and Quinn have quite a bit of experience together.