The Washington Commanders will watch one of its longest tenured staffers depart the organization and return closer to home in 2026.
The Washington Commanders coaching staff and looming roster questions have remained the biggest storylines to open the offseason, but the front office also watched a key departure materialize on Saturday with a longtime staffer headed elsewhere.
Multiple reports on Saturday broke that Commanders director of college personnel is expected to depart to re-join the Pittsburgh Steelers' scouting department.
Gribble has served in his role since being promoted almost exactly six years ago to the day and has spent 24 seasons with the organization. He's also served as an area scout for 16 seasons with experience covering the Midwest, Northeast and South. Prior to his transition to scouting, Gribble was a four-year starter at fullback and was named team captain at Duquesne, while also playing baseball.
Despite his longstanding tenure with Washington, making the move to Pittsburgh isn't a surprise. A 2017 report noted that Gribble worked out of Pittsburgh despite being promoted to assistant director of college scouting in Washington. This will mark the second stint for Gribble in Pittsburgh where he spent two seasons as an assistant in the scouting department prior heading to D.C.
Gribble is also credited for the selection of Brandon Scherff, who was selected fifth overall in the 2015 NFL Draft and spent seven seasons with the organization before signing a three year, $49.5 million contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2022.
"He was easy," Gribble said of Scherff. "Strong, tough, smart. Leader. Alpha-male. Everything about the guy I loved. He was one of my favorite guys that I ever scouted."
While it marks yet another vacancy for Washington - specifically, now general manager Adam Peters - to fill, it also marks an interesting time to depart given the NFL Draft looms and events like the East-West Shrine Bowl and Senior Bowl. The Commanders are expected to have a pair of assistants in attendance to coach the National Team at the Senior Bowl in defensive backs coach Williams Gay and offensive line coach Darnell Stapleton, one of two recently promoted by the organization.
Which way Washington turns remains to be seen with Chris White still in place as director of pro scouting, but ahead of an offseason with a need for Washington to get younger as Peters and head coach Dan Quinn said during their end of season press conference, the Commanders will have an opportunity to reset the direction of the scouting department.
Washington enters next April's draft with the seventh overall selection, the second time in three drafts that the Commanders have selected inside the top ten and third since 2020. As things currently stand, it also marks just one of two selections for the team after the organization included both its second and fourth round picks in the trade for Laremy Tunsil last offseason. Washington also currently has four selections on day three, including a pair of sixth round picks.