Meet The Commanders Coaching Staff: Dan Quinn Hires Respected Names Across NFL

The Washington Commanders have had a highly active offseason and new coach Dan Quinn is keeping that pace going with the hiring of coordinators and junior coaches.

Washington Commanders managing partner Josh Harris has decided to undergo quite the task in his first offseason at the controls of the franchise by replacing the general manager and head coach.

In what has already been one of the busiest offseasons in recent memory for the Commanders the team is poaching talent from across the league in what appears to be a calculated approach to bring aboard talent and intelligence.

From the top of the conference, Washington landed general manager Adam Peters who brings championship-level experience from the San Francisco 49ers most recently but also has ties to some of the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots Super Bowl teams.

Washington Commanders coaches (from left to right) Larry Izzo, Kliff Kingsbury, Dan Quinn, and Joe Whitt Jr / USA Today

The new head coach and defensive coordinator, Dan Quinn and Joe Whitt Jr., both came from the Dallas Cowboys who won the NFC East Division title in 2023 and did so twice with both men leading that team's defense.

Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury comes in with some notoriety of his own having led the Arizona Cardinals to their only double-digit win season and playoff trip since 2015.

But that's just the tip of the iceberg really, and here's how the rest of the Commanders' coaching staff is shaping up at the moment.

Special Teams Coordinator: Larry Izzo

Izzo is making his return to the Washington, D.C. area after being born at Fort Belvoir, Virginia in 1974 and attending two years of high school in Ashburn. After starting his career with the Miami Dolphins he eventually landed with the Patriots in 2001 and was with the team for three Super Bowl-winning runs. 

He started his coaching career with the New York Giants in 2011 and has been on the special teams side of things the entire time ultimately coordinating one of the best units for the Seattle Seahawks since 2021.

Peters spent five years working for the Patriots organization as a scout during the time Izzo was on the roster.

Special Defensive Assistant: John Pagano

Pagano's name might sound familiar as he's the brother of former Indianapolis Colts head coach Chuck Pagano. 

But this isn't a name recognition thing, because this coach Pagano has an impressive resume all his own. 

Starting with the New Orleans Saints in 1996 Pagano went on to coach in the NFL for 26 years and spent 2023 with the UConn Huskies program under Jim Mora.

His longest stretch came with the then San Diego Chargers where he coached on the defensive side working with linebackers mostly before becoming the defensive coordinator from 2012 to 2016. 

Twice in that run the Chargers ranked top 10 in yards and scored the fifth-most defensive touchdowns in the league.

Offensive Line Coach: Bobby Johnson

Coach Johnson comes to Washington after spending 2022 and 23 with the New York Giants leading arguably the worst offensive lines in the league during that stretch. 

That fact has left many perplexed as to why Johnson was hired.

Injuries to key pieces of that Giants line certainly played a part, but as Patricia Traina of Giants Country outlined, the coaches were not free of blame themselves.

In large part the inability for New York to stabilize its line while dealing with so many injuries is blamed on roster management, something we can't necessarily place at the feet of a position coach, right?

What can be placed - at least partially - at Johnson's feet is the indecisiveness Traina discusses and the impact that has on the one unit on a football field that has to work in unison.

Other Coaching Hires: David Raih (TEs) - Brian Johnson (Assistant Head Coach) - Ken Norton Jr. (LBs) - Jason Simmons (Defensive Passing Game Coordinator) - Sharrif Floyd (Assistant Defensive Line Coach) - Anthony Lynn (Offensive Run-Game Coordinator) - David Blough (Assistant QB Coach) - William Gay (Assistant DB Coach)

The biggest name on this list is Norton Jr. who was the linebackers coach for the 'Legion of Boom' defense in Seattle during the early 2010s. It's from there that he and Quinn trace their history and together the duo has experienced great success working with each other.

Norton moved on to be the defensive coordinator for the Oakland Raiders from 2015-17 before returning to the Seahawks in that same role in 2018. 

He's been working with the linebackers at UCLA since 2022, and will now make his return to the NFC East where he spent the first six years of his playing career with the Dallas Cowboys.

How Kerrigan Can Help Quinn

Returning Coaches: Tavita Pritchard (QBs) - Ryan Kerrigan (Pass Rush Specialist) - Bobby Engram (WRs)

Perhaps the coach we've gotten asked about the most from the holdover staff, outside of former assistant head coach/offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, was assistant defensive line coach Ryan Kerrigan. 

As a standout player for the organization, Kerrigan earned a place in the heart of every Commanders fan out there, and they wanted to see him stick around under coaches Quinn and Whitt.

He's joined in his confirmed return by quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard who will surely provide the team with some critical insight into incumbent starter Sam Howell as the staff decides which path to take regarding the future of the position.