The Commanders coaching search has kicked into high gear, as the team had in-person interviews with two Baltimore assistants Monday and is now headed to Detroit to meet with the Lions' coordinators, in addition to a third meeting with Dan Quinn.
ESPN's John Keim is as plugged in as any, and as there are reports that Ben Johnson is not a lock to come to DC as many expect, Keim had a little insight for the Junks on how that may be the case.
"We're not the only ones – this is the expectation of people around the league, but until you know for sure, all you can say is this is what you're hearing," Keim said. "One thing to know here is this group has been very quiet in this process, to their credit. I and others have heard that for a while people around the league thought it would end up to be Peters and Johnson somewhere – not necessarily they're a package deal, but I think they knew that Peters probably liked him – but you still have to go through the process, and I don't see anything as being this massive lock and it still may be that way, right?"
It could still be Johnson, but the brass has been quite mum, and a third interview with Quinn baseline means A LOT of due diligence.
"This could still be the guy, but until you hear it from someone deep inside, you don't know," Keim said. "With Jay Gruden, you knew that you knew he was gonna be the guy early on, but with Johnson, you clearly know they like him and he's a top candidate, but all you can go on o on is what people around the league are anticipating, because they're the ones that are talking a little bit more in this process."
Others who are connected may have different methods of seeking out information, but again, you never know what is happening – only what Adam Peters and/or Josh Harris have said publicly about it.
"You have to get the best head coach. I understand with the rookie quarterback that you don't want to be changing systems a lot, so all things being equal, offense is where you would go," Keim said. "But John Harbaugh has done pretty well in his situation, and Dan Campbell is an offensive guy, but he's not a play caller. So, you have to take the guy who you think can not only be the best leader, but one who's going to hire the best staff, because part of the questions during this process will be who is your staff? I've talked to some people about some coaches in particular, like, yeah, I don't think this guy's getting this job because they didn't like who his defensive coordinator is or whatever."
Oh, and see also the reminder that the Steelers were about to hire Russ Grimm until Mike Tomlin blew the interview committee away, and the arguable GOAT of coaches cut his teeth as a defensive guru.
"You go through the process and talk to all these people, and don't have your mind made up," Keim said. "Adam Peters, for example, was a pretty clear No. 1 choice (for GM), but in this process, I did not get that sense that there was this runaway No. 1 choice. So, you go through the process, and you can say Ben Johnson's offense is really good and he seems to be a very good communicator and he could very well be the next head coach and be a very good one, but go through the process just to confirm your thoughts, and make sure you're not missing out on someone else who you might say you like, and this guy blew me away. If you don't go through that process, then you're doing it wrong."
And speaking of The Process…
"When Josh Harris would go through decisions in Philadelphia with the Sixers, for example, the GM or whoever would have to go to him with all the information possible. He wants to know all the information," Keim said. "If that's how you are with making a decision, if you're gonna look for a head coach, you better have all the information possible to make the best decision.
The expectation remains Ben Johnson, but what it's not, what do you need to know about these other guys? If it's Ben Johnson, then it's a grand slam because now you have a guy who you feel can be a good head coach and who is a really good offensive coach with a complex simplicity to his offense – and he has really good talent, but I think he makes that talent work, too."
We don't know exactly who is part of this process – one can assume of maybe the same group that had a hand in hiring Peters plus the GM himself – but one thing is sure: this one is also thorough, if not as rapid as the GM process.
Take a listen to Keim's entire segment above, which also goes into why the Commanders may have eschewed recently-fired veterans like Belichick and Vrabel, how Peters will fill his front office, and more!
