Commanders Hire Son of a Franchise Legend As New Quarterbacks Coach

The Commanders are bringing in a familiar face to their coaching staff this year.

Per Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic, the Commanders are hiring D.J. Williams, the son of legendary Washington quarterback Doug Williams, as their new quarterbacks coach.

Doug spent four years playing for Washington from 1986 to ’89, leading the franchise to their second Super Bowl victory in ‘87 when he threw four touchdowns in a win over the Broncos and was named MVP of the game. Since his playing career ended after the ‘89 season, Doug has worked in coaching and front office roles. In 2014, Doug re-joined Washington as a personnel executive, and currently works as a senior adviser to general manager Adam Peters.

Now, D.J. is following in his father’s footsteps once again. D.J. previously played quarterback at Doug’s alma mater, Grambling State, while his father was the coach of the program. After college, D.J. worked on the Saints coaching staff from 2017 to ’23 before joining the Falcons as their quarterbacks coach in ‘24. Following a two-year stint with Atlanta, D.J. is joining his dad in D.C.

The Commanders are still searching for their new offensive and defensive coordinators, but have locked in their quarterbacks coach with the hiring of D.J. He will be tasked with working with second-year quarterback Jayden Daniels and backup Marcus Mariota.

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