Former Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon is expected to interview for the Washington Commanders defensive coordinator vacancy this week.
The Washington Commanders have one of its coordinator vacancies filled after elevating David Blough from assistant quarterbacks coach, leaving head coach Dan Quinn one key hire to make before finalizing the rest of the on-field staff. Washington appears to be in the mix for a former head coach for that vacancy.
Former Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon is expected to interview for the Commanders' defensive coordinator vacancy on Thursday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported on Monday evening. Rapoport added that in addition to an interview with Washington, Gannon is expected to interview with the Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday for the defensive coordinator vacancy followed by an interview with the Tennessee Titans for the head coaching position on Sunday.
The Cowboys have been viewed as a potential team to watch, making Tuesday's interview all the more interesting, while Gannon was one of five defensive coordinators profiled over the weekend to replace Joe Whitt Jr. in 2026.
Gannon also fits the bill of what has been reported as the preference for Washington with the expectation that head Coach Dan Quinn turns to an experienced defensive coordinator to call plays in 2026, which Gannon has done.
The longtime NFL assistant was fired following the 2025 season after three seasons as the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals where he finished 15-36 overall including 3-14 in 2025, but he joined the organization as a respected name following his stint in Philadelphia despite a messy exit.
Gannon served as the Eagles defensive coordinator for two seasons beginning in 2021 where he turned the defense around from one of the worst to best in the league in his first season, while Philadelphia's 78 sacks in 2022 marked the third most in a season in NFL history. Gannon arrived in Arizona replacing Kliff Kingsbury, who was relieved as Washington's offensive coordinator this offseason.
Prior to his stint in Philadelphia, Gannon began his coaching career as a student assitant at Louisville for three seasons before moving into a grad assistant role in 2006. Gannon then made the jump to the Atlanta Falcons as a defensive quality control coach in 2007 before taking the same position with the Tennessee Titans for two seasons beginning 2012. He then served as the assistant defensive backs coach of the Minnesota Vikings for four seasons starting 2014 before moving to a defensive backs coach role with the Indianapolis Colts beginning in 2018.
Washington has already conducted several interviews with Gannon becoming the fourth known candidate for the vacancy as ESPN's John Keim pointed to four names as realistic candidates.
"If that's the case, then you're looking at Dennard Wilson, Patrick Graham, Raheem [Morris], [Jeff] Ulbrich," Keim said on his podcast on Sunday.
In the same episode, Keim previously pointed to a potential hire materializing over the next week.
"My understanding is what I had been told late last week was offensive coordinator by the end of this weekend, which clearly happened, and then a defensive coordinator probably hopefully by next weekend, maybe that Monday," Keim said on Sunday.