The Washington Commanders swung and missed on a big name for their new defensive coordinator. That comes on the heels of an unproven OC hire. And head coach Dan Quinn’s coaching hires will do one of two things: put his team in the playoffs, or send him back to a defensive coordinator role with another team in 2027.
To be sure, the Commanders tried to hit home runs with their coordinator positions. Quinn looked at Mike McDaniel for the offense and Brian Flores for the defense. If the Commanders had landed both, it would have been the biggest home-run hire combination in years for the franchise.
Instead, the Commanders will move forward with hope rather than assurances.
This is Commanders HC Dan Quinn’s big gamble
Let’s be fair to Quinn and acknowledge that he tried. In the NFL, you shoot for the stars, but many times hope to land safely on tall buildings.
The problem for Quinn is that neither coordinator hire has a strong foundation. At least not in terms of experience. Offensive coordinator David Blough is a young coach at age 30. Meanwhile, soon-to-be-official defensive coordinator Daronte Jones has been around, but hasn’t been in this position before. Jones was the defensive backs coach for the Vikings in 2025.
It’s possible the Commanders will get five or six games into the season and find themselves near the bottom of the defensive rankings. That’s the tough thing about a coach wanting his chance to move up. Oftentimes, that means taking over a team with less talent and trying to make things work anyway.
One thing that could help Jones from the get-go is that the Commanders are able to land a stud like Rueben Bain Jr. in the draft. But sitting at No. 7, there’s a chance Bain will be off the board.
Hopefully, Jones will beg and plead with the Commander to go defense with that pick. Whether general manager Adam Peters will listen is another story altogether.
But Quinn has put his coaching job on the line. He has to win in 2026. What he put together in 2024 made everybody want more. But in 2025, it returned to the same old Commanders.
What does DC Daronte Jones bring to the table?
At least the Commanders got a guy who learned under Flores. In the NFL world, that’s a plus.
Also, Jones has paid his dues. He had previous assistant stints with the Dolphins (2016-17) and Bengals (2018-19). He moved on to the Vikings in 2020 before becoming LSU's defensive coordinator in 2021. He then returned to the Vikings, coaching under Flores for the past three years.
Of course, with any defensive coordinator hire for the Commanders, it’s a tough task. The Commanders simply do not have a wealth of defensive talent. Unless they hit a grand slam in the draft or win big in the free-agent market, scheme will be everything for Jones.
One thing that helps Jones is that there isn’t a high bar for improvement. Joe Whitt Jr. turned out to be a terrible hire by Quinn. In Quinn’s first year, the Commanders were average, finishing No. 13 in the NFL in yards, 18th in points, and No. 20 in takeaways. It was just enough to keep the team afloat with a dynamic offense.
But last season, the wheels came off. Whitt played a big role in the Commanders finishing No. 32 in yards, No. 27 in points, and No. 31 in takeaways.
So if Jones simply returns the team to the middle of the road status, he may be viewed as a good hire. But man, that’s asking a lot.
What does Jones have to work with?
As things stand now, Jones will have a mediocre defensive line. Pro Football Focus put the Commanders at No. 24 in the NFL in its final 2025 rankings.
On the next level, the Commanders have Bobby Wagner. He ranked No. 3, according to Pro Football Focus. However, he’s 35, and there’s no guarantee he returns for the 2026 season.
“Wagner … has shown no signs of slowing down,” Mason Cameron wrote. “While his PFF coverage grade has dipped over the past two seasons, Wagner remains an elite run defender (91.2 PFF grade), tackler (86.3), and blitzer (90.9).
“He led all qualifying linebackers in PFF run-defense and pass-rush grades in 2024, and his 91.2 figure against the run marked his third straight season surpassing the 91.0 threshold.”
Somewhat surprisingly, Frankie Luvu ranked No. 14. But he will have to make more of an impact in 2026.
“Luvu didn't put forth his highest-graded season in 2024, but he still maintains a solid overall profile as a run defender and blitzer,” Cameron wrote. “Across the past four seasons, he has produced a 72.0-plus PFF pass-rush grade on 70 or more blitzes each year. While his run-defense metrics have fallen in each of the past three seasons, he still lands in the 87th percentile in grading.”
As for the secondary, it’s more ugliness. The Commanders have a hope in cornerback Trey Amos, but he graded out poorly (55.8) in 10 games, according to PFF. His 23 receptions allowed ranked him 88th among 114 qualifying cornerbacks.
Safety Jeremy Reaves showed a spark at times, but he’s 29 years old, and this was his first productive season as a defensive back.
It’s a huge challenge for Jones. And it’s a major roll of the dice for Quinn.
