Could Commanders Next Coach Come From Texans vs. Ravens?

Two candidates in the Washington Commanders' coaching search will go against each other in the AFC Divisional Round with Houston Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik and Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald.

While Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson made headlines with his comments about Washington Commanders general manager Adam Peters, he isn't the only head coach candidate coaching in the divisional round. 

The other top candidates in the Commanders coaching search, Houston Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik and Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald will coach against each other for the second time this season when their teams face off in the AFC Divisional Round on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET at M&T Bank Stadium. Slowik and Macdonald are two of the more popular candidates in this coaching cycle, as they've each done multiple interviews for the head coach vacancies across the league. 

Macdonald has interviewed for the head coach vacancies with the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Los Angeles Chargers and Tennessee Titans and was requested by the Commanders. Slowik has been requested by the Seattle Seahawks, Titans and Panthers, though he has yet to interview with any team yet due to the Texans playing and winning in the Wild Card round.

Slowik has yet to be requested for an interview by Washington, but it's worth noting he was with the San Francisco 49ers at the same time as Peters from 2017-2022. That may lead to a request in the upcoming days as the Commanders have yet to interview anyone for their head coaching vacancy.

Houston Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik / USA Today

While many may believe it would be best to hire an offensive-minded coach given that the Commanders are positioned to draft a quarterback with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Peters is adamant he won't prefer a coach based on which side of the ball they coach.

“We're looking for the best leader for the Washington Commanders," Peters said. "We have set criteria that we're going to have it be aligned in that vision. It's not going to be in a box. It's not going to be offense. It's not going to be defense. It's going to be the best leader for this organization.”

Slowik and Macdonald coached against each other in Week 1, and the Ravens steadily pulled away en route to a 25-9 win over the Texans. Baltimore's defense largely controlled the game, as it held the Texans to 268 yards and sacked rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud five times. 

Macdonald's defense certainly had the edge in Week 1, though, it's worth noting it was Stroud's first start of his NFL career and Slowik's first game as an offensive coordinator. Stroud completed 28 of 44 passes for 242 yards against the Ravens.  

Since then, both units went on to have stellar seasons. Stroud had one of the best rookie years in recent memory, and he was nearly perfect in the Texans' 45-14 win over the Cleveland Browns in the Wild Card round, as he completed 16 of 21 passes for 274 yards and three touchdowns. 

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Baltimore's defense was one of the best in football, as it led the league in sacks (60) and points allowed per game (16.5) and was tied for first in turnovers (31).

Slowik began his coaching career in Washington in 2010 and was a defensive assistant from 2011-2013. He then went to the San Francisco 49ers in 2017, the same year Peters joined their front office. Slowik was a defensive quality coach (2017-2018), offensive assistant (2019-2020), passing game specialist (2021) and passing game coordinator (2022) before going to Houston. 

Macdonald has spent his entire NFL coaching career in Baltimore as he has been a defensive coaching intern (2014), defensive assistant coach (2015-2016), defensive backs coach (2017) and linebackers coach (2018-2020) and is now in his second season as the defensive coordinator. 

It won't be as simple as the unit that has more success becomes the favorite in Commanders coaching search, but whoever gets the upper hand between Macdonald and Slowik in their playoff matchup will position themselves well to land a head coaching job in Washington or somewhere else with a coaching vacancy.