A second Washington Commanders assistant has drawn interest for a position outside of the organization following an AFC head coaching change
One day after the defensive coordinator vacancy was reportedly filled, the twists and turns for the Washington Commanders continue with yet another assistant at risk of departing the staff.
A report on Tuesday night pointed to Commanders defensive pass game coordinator Jason Simmons is expected to interview with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the defensive coordinator vacancy under head coach Mike McCarthy, who was officially announced as head coach on Tuesday.
Simmons, a former fifth round pick out of Arizona State, actually began his playing career with the Steelers where he played sparingly as a rookie before appearing in 43 games through 2021. He then amassed a pair of interceptions and eight pass deflections over the next six seasons with the Houston Texans before transitioning to coaching in 2011 with the Green Bay Packers.
Simmons was a versatile coach in the Packers' defensive coaching staff after serving as secondary coach, assistant special teams coach and defensive backs coach. In his final season with the organization, the Packers finished ranked five in the league in several categories including interceptions, pass breakups, forced fumbles and fewest touchdowns allowed.
He also spent two seasons with the Panthers where Carolina finished second in total defense and third in opponent passing yards per game. After a two-year stint with the Las Vegas Raiders, Simmons moved on to join the Commanders alongside Dan Quinn ahead of the 2024 season.
Washington's defense is coming off a 2025 campaign where they ranked among the worst pass defenses, much less overall defenses in the NFL, with the cornerback and safety room in need of major upgrades this offseason. But the possibility of Simmons departing adds to experience questions that have loomed large through the early stages of the Commanders' offseason.
During his first season with the franchise, Washington moved from 32nd to third in passing yards allowed per game with the 189.5 yards marking a franchise best in two decades.
Whether the Commanders add any additional assistants from the Vikings with Daronte Jones officially on board also remains to be seen with both sides of the ball looking to finalize its staff ahead of the next phase of the critical offseason. With a need to upgrade the pieces, general manager Adam Peters was spotted watching the edge rushers ahead of the Shrine Bowl on Tuesday.
Simmons also becomes the second Commanders assistant to interview for other opportunities after run game coordinator and running backs coach Anthony Lynn drew interest as a candidate in the head coaching searches for both the Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills, though the Bills have since moved on with promoting offensive coordinator Joe Brady. Cleveland may be inching closer with defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz to put a pin in Lynn's plans, though with a possible change in identity on offense and with head coach Dan Quinn entering a pivotal year three with job security a reported concern, it marks an ongoing question mark for what the final makeup of the 2026 coaching staff materializes into.