While Ron Rivera seemingly interviews almost everybody under the sun to fill the Washington Commanders' vacant offensive coordinator role – including requesting to speak to San Francisco 49ers assistant head coach/running backs coach Anthony Lynn today, per Nicki Jhabvala – there are two apparent front runners for the position.
The two are current Washington quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese, who people around the league expect Rivera to hire, per Albert Breer, and former Cleveland Browns and New York Giants head coach Pat Shurmur.
While the Zampese link has some people very upset, Craig Hoffman said on the "Take Command" podcast that Shurmur is at "the top of his list."
"[Shurmur] has a ton of really high-level OC experience," Hoffman said. "I push Shurmur to the top of my list. I think that his ability to generate big plays, his ability to utilize personnel well, both as 'hey, we've got to get our good players the ball' but also using their skillsets to help maximize other guys. And, frankly, the thing that I think is most appealing about him, is the level of success he's had with mid-level quarterbacks.
"Case Keenum, Daniel Jones – rookie version of Daniel Jones – there's been a couple of others throughout his career, I mean, Teddy Bridgewater in Denver, these guys all had really solid years with Shurmur, perhaps some of the best years of their career. [In] Keenum's case by far and away the best year of his career."
For Hoffman, with Washington likely sticking with Sam Howell (who played just one game during his rookie season) or another mid-level QB, it makes sense to bring in a guy who could be the oracle of the mediocre.
Former NFL tight end Logan Paulsen said all of those things are why you get excited about a guy like Shurmur.
Speaking with some of his former players, Paulsen said Shurmur is seen as an "excellent teacher," and to him "that's probably – I don't want to say the most important thing – but that's a huge factor in terms of me valuing what a coordinator brings because ultimately they have to be able to educate."
Paulsen added that Shurmur seems like a "natural fit" for the type of candidate Rivera is looking for, as he has a lot of experience in the position and has called plays before.
Watch the full Take Command podcast talking about the other candidates for Washington's OC job, like Eric Studesville, and about the defensive side of the ball... right here:
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