Around Washington when the Commanders were looking for their next head coach to replace Ron Rivera, fans were rather apprehensive about the possibility of hiring a "retread." In the end, owner Josh Harris and GM Adam Peters went with Dan Quinn, who had been an NFL head coach for five full seasons in Atlanta before he was fired after an 0-5 start in his sixth year.
Jay Gruden, the head coach for five full seasons in Washington before he was fired after an 0-5 start in his sixth year, told Chris Russell that the experience of being a head coach before should help Quinn in his new role. Just as it should help is first-time NFL offensive coordinator, but one-time NFL head coach Kliff Kingsbury.
But the most important decision Quinn and the Commanders make this offseason is getting the right player at No. 2 overall because "it will make or break Dan's tenure with Washington. If they fail on that second pick of the draft, he'll be there about two or three years. If they hit on it he could be there for the next 15 to 20."
Part of that decision will be in the hands of Peters, and Gruden added that the "successful teams are successful" because of the relationship a head coach and general manager form when it comes to roster management, picking players, free agency, and keeping players.
"The communication level has to be perfect," Gruden told Russell. "It has to be a team decision. But somebody has to have the final say, they have to work together, they have to have the same values in mind when it comes to picking players, the criteria has to be drawn out perfectly and everybody has to understand what Dan wants in a player and the GM has to understand what they want. And they have to work together to find it.
"They can't have any head-knocking, back-and-forth, negative meetings. It's gotta be all positive, it's all gotta be about the Washington Commanders moving forward and Dan has to put out a very clear, concise version of what he sees in a player and Peters has to follow."
While Quinn may not have been the Commanders' top choice for the job – he was high on their list when they started the process – Gruden said that shouldn't impact Quinn in the slightest.
He added that Washington "ended up getting a very good candidate with a lot of experience, a lot of good, positive energy which they need in that building right now. You know it's a totally different vibe, I think, when you hire a guy like Dan Quinn from Ron Rivera... Dan will bring a lot more positive energy and some new positive stuff is very needed in the D.C. area."
Switching to Kingsbury, in Gruden's mind the key to him having success starts with Washington getting good personnel – "and that starts with the quarterback No. 1" – to be able to effectively run an offense.
"Then they gotta address the tight end position, they gotta try and get an explosive [running] back... then they gotta address the offensive line," Gruden told Russell. "They got a lot of work to do personnel-wise. But it starts with the quarterback."
Does that mean Washington should give serious thought to trading up with the Chicago Bears and selecting USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft?
"I think it would be a serious thought," Gruden said, adding that Kingsbury worked with Williams in college last year and should be able to provide information about "what type of mental makeup he has, nobody knows better than him. He worked with him in the same room for a whole year. As far as what kind of preparation he did, how diligent is he? How much does he like football? How much does he work at the game? What's his ceiling? We know what kind of arm talent he has, the kind of athletic ability he has, will he put the work in?
"And Kliff knows that. And so, if he knows that this guy is a hard worker, he's got all the skills in the world, then hell yeah you gotta trade up and get him.
"'Cause the other two guys – in Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye – there's some question marks on those guys. Being that [Kingsbury] was in those meetings with [Williams] for an entire year, if he stands on the table for him, I think for sure they should try and trade up and get him."
However, even if Kingsbury stands up on the table for Williams, Gruden added, "But I don't think Chicago will do it." So all that intel could be a moot point because the USC passer is too good for the Bears to pass up.
Listen to the full conversation from the Chris Russell Show – including Gruden and Russell breaking down Super Bowl LVIII between the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs – on the audio player above!
