January 7, 2017
By Justin Nicely
The Redskins fired defensive coordinator, Joe Barry, on Thursday after hiring him two years ago. The team also only retained three of the coaches on the defensive staff. One of those three coaches could possibly be a legit candidate for the defensive coordinator position. I—and many others—believe the Redskins will target a coach who has an experienced and impressive résumé. It could be a make or break year for Jay Gruden in 2017, and I am not sure if he would trust a coach who has little experience as a coordinator unless they really impress Gruden and McCloughan. Here are the top candidates for the position in my opinion.
By Justin Nicely
The Redskins fired defensive coordinator, Joe Barry, on Thursday after hiring him two years ago. The team also only retained three of the coaches on the defensive staff. One of those three coaches could possibly be a legit candidate for the defensive coordinator position. I—and many others—believe the Redskins will target a coach who has an experienced and impressive résumé. It could be a make or break year for Jay Gruden in 2017, and I am not sure if he would trust a coach who has little experience as a coordinator unless they really impress Gruden and McCloughan. Here are the top candidates for the position in my opinion.
1. Wade Phillips
A fan favorite for the position, Wade Phillips may be on his way out in Denver. The Broncos gave the coordinator permission to seek other job opportunities and he has gotten interest from the Redskins and Browns. Jay Gruden bypassed Phillips last time around for Barry, so could there be some hard feelings there after Phillips would be his third option? (Gruden had Fangio and Barry as his top two candidates when hiring last time.) However, I do not know if that would be true or not. Wade Phillips had a ton of interest in the position in 2015 and I think he would have just as much interest in the position now. The talent on defense is not great, but it is in a lot better shape than it was in 2015. His son, Wes Phillips, is also still on the staff as the tight ends coach. If it was up to me, I would be calling Phillips to set up an interview as soon as possible.
2. Gus Bradley
The early word out of Redskins park, is that former Jaguars head coach, Gus Bradley, is atop of Washington’s list of defensive coordinator candidates. However, he is rumored to be a “package” deal with Bills offensive coordinator, Anthony Lynn, if Lynn is able to land a head coaching job with the Bills or another organization in the NFL. Gus Bradley has some ties to the Redskins front office in the past, which is nothing new for Redskins fans as they are now used to Bruce Allen and Jay Gruden hiring their former colleagues. General Manager, Scot McCloughan, was with Bradley in Seattle from 2010-2012 before Bradley took the head coaching position in Jacksonville. In 2007, Gus Bradley was promoted to be the linebackers coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers; the same Bucs team that Jay Gruden (offensive assistant) and Bruce Allen (general manager) were a part of. The most interesting thing about this though, is that the coach he replaced as the linebackers coach in Tampa Bay was none other than Joe Barry himself, who went on to be the defensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions. The most concerning thing about Bradley, is that when he took over for Seattle’s defense the first two years they ranked in the bottom third in both points and yards until the talent level improved. In Jacksonville, his defense ranked in the bottom third for three straight seasons. In his fourth year, they became a top-ten team in yards allowed, but were 25th in points allowed. Some players on the Jaguars complained about Bradley’s system. Jalen Ramsey, most notably, said he felt “caged” by his scheme. However, Gus Bradley did help lead the Seahawks to two Super Bowls and is known for developing young talent.
3. Greg Manusky
Greg Manusky was hired as an outside linebackers coach for the Redskins last offseason and was one of the three coaches kept on staff. I believe Manusky has a legit shot at becoming the next defensive coordinator in Washington. During Scot McCloughan’s time as general manager for the 49ers, he was involved in the process in naming Manusky as their defensive coordinator. He then went on to become the defensive coordinator for the Chargers and Colts. Greg Manusky helped get Ryan Kerrigan to double-digit sacks this season (and the Pro Bowl) after seeing a lighter-work load than normal this year. He also received high praise for helping Trent Murphy set his career high nine sacks. Players like him a lot and according to John Keim, two players liked the possibility of Manusky taking over for Barry after the possibility was brought up to them. His track record is not as impressive though which might keep the Redskins from hiring him for the position. Even though he coaches aggressively (which is something the team wants), in his nine years as a defensive coordinator, he has only had two top-ten defenses in points allowed. He also played for the team from 1988-1990.
4. Steve Wilks
The current Panthers’ assistant head coach and defensive backs coach, Steve Wilks will be the first coach the Redskins interview. He does not have coordinating experience like the team will prefer, but he is highly regarded. Wilks receives a lot of praise from Josh Norman too. Norman constantly talks about Wilks and credits him for helping him develop into a star in the NFL. In 2015, he helped the defensive backs, particularly Norman, have a break out year. 2016 got off to a rocky start though, as he had three rookie corners seeing a lot of playing time. As the season went on though, he guided them to start playing at a much higher level. He showed that first hand in Washington when they held their own against the Redskins receivers. Steve Wilks is also getting head coaching opportunities as he has an interview for the open job in Los Angeles as well. The lack of coordinating experience makes him unlikely to land the job with the Redskins, but he has plenty of experience in the NFL.
5. Gregg Williams
Gregg Williams served as the defensive coordinator and assistant head coach for the Washington Redskins from 2004-2007. He is highly regarded and is still good friends with Dan Snyder and Jon Gruden; and knows Jay Gruden. He is a very aggressive and creative coach who is good at maximizing the talent he has. I am not sure how he would feel about coming back, but I think most of the fans would welcome him back after he led the Redskins defense to three seasons as a top-ten defense in his four years with the team. Although, it looks as if he will be the next Browns defensive coordinator as they offered him a contract before officially firing Ray Horton. They gave him until Monday to decide if he wanted to accept the job.
UPDATE: Williams has officially accepted the job with the Browns.
UPDATE: Williams has officially accepted the job with the Browns.
6. Mike Vrabel
Texans’ inside linebacker coach, Mike Vrabel, will be an interesting name to watch in the next few seasons. He does not have much experience as a coach, but he is highly thought of around the league and is expected to become a highly sought after head coach in the future. Vrabel was an assistant coach at Ohio State for three seasons until he joined the Texans staff in 2014. He does not have experience as a coordinator, but he is a fiery and aggressive coach. However, he turned down San Francisco’s defensive coordinator job last year and is currently unavailable to interview right now due to the Texans being in the playoffs.
7. Rex Ryan
Ryan is a high-profile candidate with a lot of experience. Even though he is every energetic, he comes with the big media attention which is something the Redskins are trying to avoid. So I do not think he would be a great fit with Jay Gruden and the team. Ryan’s defense was very complex and hard to understand, according to some Buffalo Bills players, which was one of the issues with Joe Barry’s defense. However, per Chick Hernandez of CSN Mid-Atlantic, Rex Ryan will not be considered for the position. It is doubtful he would have taken the job anyways, as I doubt he would want to step down to be a coordinator again. He could easily get a job in television also.
8. Ed Donatell
The Redskins considered him two-years ago for the position, but the Redskins were more so hoping to get him as a package deal with Vic Fangio—their first choice for the defensive coordinator position. Fangio chose to go to Chicago though and Donatell followed him there to become the defensive backs coach. He has had a lot of experience in the NFL but has not been a coordinator since 2006. He worked as the defensive coordinator for the Packers and Falcons for a total of seven seasons. He turns 60 in February.
9. Mike Pettine
He was fired by the Cleveland Browns after two season as the head coach in 2015. He was the defensive coordinator under Rex Ryan’s Jets from 2009-2012. He then became the defensive coordinator in Buffalo for one season in 2013 until he moved to Cleveland to become the head coach in 2014. He ran a defense a lot like Ryan’s, so you could potentially be getting an aggressive defense like Rex Ryan’s, except without employing Ryan himself. Pettine adds his own twist though and had very respectful defenses with the Jets and Bills.
10. Leslie Frazier
He has plenty of experience, but Frazier is not a likely option. When he was the Vikings coordinator from 2007-2010, he had three top-ten units in yards per game, but only had one unit in the top-ten in points per game. However, when he became the head coach of the Vikings, the defense dropped even further in the rankings. As the Bucs defensive coordinator, his defense ranked 25th in yards and points per game in 2014. In his final year they ranked 26th in yards and 10th in points per game. He is currently the Ravens defensive backs coach.
11. Ray Horton
Ray Horton looks like he is being run out of Cleveland. The team has not announced any changes to their staff involving Horton yet, but there have been multiple reports that they have offered Gregg Williams the job and have reached out to Wade Phillips and Gus Bradley about the job. He has a lot of respect around the league, but has had very little talent on his side of the ball. He got his first coaching opportunity with the Redskins as an assistant defensive backs coach in 1994 and has been in the NFL ever since. Since 1994, he has six years of experience as a defensive coordinator with the Cardinals, Titans, and two stints with the Browns. However, his longest term as a coordinator was for only two years.
UPDATE: Horton has been officially let go of his duties.
UPDATE: Horton has been officially let go of his duties.
If it was up to me, the candidates would be in this order (out of these coaches): Wade Phillips, Steve Wilks, Gus Bradley, Gregg Williams, Mike Pettine, Greg Manusky, Mike Vrabel, Rex Ryan, Ryan Horton, Ed Donatell, and Leslie Frazier.
Who do you want the Redskins to hire as the next defensive coordinator? |