Bill Callahan — after the firing of Jay Gruden — is the current head coach of the Washington Redskins. However, he is not expected to stay at the post, barring an unforeseen winning streak. But, there could be one assistant on Washington's coaching roster that may be Gruden's long term successor. Kevin O'Connell.
According to Mark Maske of The Washington Post, Washington will give serious consideration to O'Connell, a 34-year-old offensive coordinator, to be the next non-interim head coach. The thought process behind the potential move would be to avoid losing another young offensive mind.
Since 2014, Washington has lost three assistants that went on to be head coaches.
Kyle Shahanan left after his father, Mike, was fired. In 2017, he became the head coach of the currently 4-0 San Francisco 49ers. Sean McVay left Washington after the 2016 season for the Los Angeles Rams; it took him two years to reach a Super Bowl. Matt LaFleur left Washington as part of the fired Shanahan staff. He is now the head coach of the 4-1 Green Bay Packers.
O'Connell joined Washington in 2017 as a quarterbacks coach. After one year, the Gruden staff elevated him to the passing game coordinator gig. Another year passed, and he became their offensive coordinator.
Before his coaching days, O'Connell was a third-round pick by the New England Patriots in 2008. He lasted one year, before bouncing around through five different teams in three seasons, and ultimately retired to join the coaching ranks. As a former quarterback, expect the “quarterback whisperer” phrase to come about if he does indeed earn the head coaching job.
Follow Us
Subscribe