After filling the offensive side of the ball, we take a look at five names to know for the Washington Commanders defensive coordinator vacancy.
The Washington Commanders filled one of its two coordinator vacancies after promoting David Blough from assistant quarterbacks coach, who are the names to know for the defensive coordinator role? We take a look at five names:
Chiefs DL coach Joe Cullen: one of two known interviews for the vacancy, the Washington Commanders interviewed the longtime defensive line coach this week as the Chiefs have seen a handful of other position coaches either fired or leave the organization after missing the playoffs. The veteran assistant served as the defensive coordinator on the Urban Meyer staff in Jacksonville and while the tenure may have ended miserably, the defense didn’t. Jacksonville finished fifth in yards per carry allowed and sixth in yards allowed in his only coordinator role. He’s served as a defensive line coach with Detroit, Jacksonville, Cleveland, Tampa Bay and Baltimore before joining Kansas City in 2022.
Former Cardinals HC Jonathan Gannon: this is the one with no known ties between the two despite at one point both serving as defensive coordinators in the NFC East with Quinn in Dallas and Gannon in Philadelphia. After leaving Philadelphia for Arizona, Gannon was ousted as head coach after a 15-36 record spanning the last three seasons. While several recently available coaches have quickly been linked to several teams across the league, Gannon’s status has been quiet. Gannon was a respected name after turning around the Eagles’ defense during his two seasons with the organization and with reports of Washington looking to find a defensive coordinator capable of calling plays, Gannon can fill exactly that. NFL insider Benjamin Allbright pointed to Dallas as a potential team to watch.
Raiders DC Patrick Graham: the first interview after both coordinators were relieved of duties, Graham has survived the last two head coaching changes in Las Vegas and seems like a possibility to survive a third after Pete Carroll was relieved of duties after one season as head coach. Though the Raiders finished in the middle of the NFL in several defensive categories, he’s been a respected name through the years. Graham was initially expected to be retained by Brian Daboll before opting to take the DC job with the Raiders in 2022.
Bears secondary coach/def. pass game coordinator Al Harris: Quinn pointed to the former Bears DB as an influential figure once he was announced as head coach, while the Dallas Cowboys denied Washington permission to speak with Harris - along with TE coach Lunda Wells - for its defensive backs job. Would Chicago deny Washington’s interview request? It would be an interesting nugget if Harris joined Wells as interview, but the Bears are probably mindful of Harris’ likeliness of departing if an interview did materialize. "If [Dan Quinn] was to go and get a head coaching job, honestly, in whatever capacity he wanted me to come, I'm there. I'm there,” he said in 2024.
Commanders LB coach Ken Norton Jr: if the Commanders promoted from within on offense, could they do the same on the defensive side of the ball? Current LB coach Ken Norton Jr. joined the organization once the Dan Quinn era began, while he does have play calling experience from his time with both the Raiders and Seahawks from 2015 to 2021. But after the Commanders finished 2025 with one of the worst defenses in the NFL, while Norton’s situation doesn’t resemble Blough’s given the outside interest, the expectation since Joe Whitt Jr. was officially relieved of his duties has been Dan Quinn will go with an external coordinator to call plays, per Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic.
Bonus: no-go on two candidates
After consecutive 8-9 finishes, the Atlanta Falcons moved on from Raheem Morris, who now moves back in the market as already one of the most sought after coaching candidates in the early stages of the offseason. While Morris’ relationship with head coach Dan Quinn spans back decades, the expectation is that Morris remains focused on available head coaching opportunities with a quarter of the league now actively looking for head coaches. As for the other, the Cowboys’ request to interview Falcons DC Jeff Ulbrich was denied with the expectation that owner Arthur Smith recommends Ulbrich to the next head coach.