Dan Quinn has officially taken over for as Washington Commanders head coach, and now he’s trying to stockpile as many quality coaches as he can in an effort to turn things around.
The Commanders have made the postseason just once since 2016 and haven’t advanced past the wild card round since 2005. But their coaching job was an attractive one, as they’ve got a new ownership group, plenty of cap space and the No. 2 overall pick in the draft.
Since taking over the role, Quinn has started building out his staff, naming Kliff Kingsbury as offensive coordinator and Joe Whitt Jr. as defensive coordinator. Former Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson is reported to be joining the offensive staff, as well.
Building out a coaching staff could be an arduous task, but Quinn said Thursday in an exclusive interview with Chris Russell on The Team 980 that he’s enjoyed it.
“(It’s about) getting the right people on the bus, then we can put them in some seats,” Quinn said. “That’s what it is to me, let’s find some really, really good coaches. Not everybody is the same – communication, the teaching, the development, the technical side, all of that is there. You just want enough versatility.
“It’s like putting a good team together, you want enough of this, enough of that. Making sure however you want to play that you’ve got the right people in spots. We’ve got work to do, we’ve been busy so far and we’ll continue to be to push it to find the right guys here."
Quinn wouldn’t confirm news of Johnson joining the organization, but he did say that there has been interest from people in hopping aboard because of the potential the Commanders have.
“What’s really cool for you and for the fanbase, there are people that really, really want to be here,” Quinn said. “I think that should speak to where this organization is headed and what’s going to go down because people feel that energy that’s going to come on. Behind the scenes, fans would be really pumped to know people are really pushing to be a part of this. I think that’s a really good sign. We’ve got a lot of work to do, but behind the scenes that’s a pretty cool thing to have.”