4 Coaching Candidates for Commanders to Pair With Young QB
The Washington Commanders own the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Unless their next coach believes quarterback Sam Howell is salvageable, the Commanders will almost certainly select a quarterback with that pick. And because that player will immediately become the most important piece in the organization, it would make sense for Washington to hire a coach with an offensive background.
So while we're not dismissing Bill Belichick, Mike Vrabel, Pete Caroll, Dan Quinn, Aaron Glenn, Raheem Morris, Mike Macdonald, Antonio Pierce or Anthony Weaver as candidates to become coaches somewhere, this may not be the best fit for them.
With all that acknowledged, here are four candidates that would be qualified to help develop whatever young quarterback new general manager Adam Peters takes at No. 2.
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1. Ben Johnson: Offensive Coordinator, Detroit Lions
Within 30 minutes of the Commanders picking Peters as their next general manager last week, a slew of NFL insiders all suggested that the belief is Johnson would be the favorite to be the next coach. That makes you wonder if part of Peters' pitch to get the job was that Johnson has already agreed to join him after Detroit's postseason run concludes.
Hiring the hot offensive coordinator doesn't always end up working out, but Johnson has done such a good job reviving the career of quarterback Jared Goff and incorporating young talent for the Lions that he would seem to be a great fit for the Commanders.
2. Bobby Slowik: Offensive Coordinator, Houston Texans
It's fair to be concerned that Slowik is only in his first year as an offensive coordinator, but he's done wonders with likely Offensive Rookie of the Year C.J. Stroud. So any team that's hoping to emulate that success in developing a young quarterback of their own should at least consider Slowik.
Perhaps the 36-year-old is still too green and needs another year or two as a coordinator before getting a coaching job. But before becoming the offensive coordinator in Houston, Slowik spent six years working in a variety of roles on Kyle Shanahan's coaching staff with the San Francisco 49ers. Peters, of course, was working in San Francisco's front office during that time, so he may have better insight into whether Slowik has the leader-of-men qualities needed to transition from being a coordinator to a coach.
3. Jim Harbaugh: Head Coach, University of Michigan
There's an argument to be made that Harbaugh -- who has a 44-19-1 record at the NFL level and a College Football Playoff National Championship on his resume -- is the best overall coaching candidate this cycle. Any organization would be lucky to have him come in and establish the hard-nosed culture that his teams always seem to have.
The reason he's not No. 1 here is because Harbaugh is very particular, and may want to pick his own player personnel guy, which isn't going to happen in D.C. now that Peters is in place. Washington would still be wise to interview Harbaugh, because he does have experience winning with a young quarterback in Colin Kaepernick, and also knows this class of college QBs probably better than any current NFL coach. But he appears to be more of a fit for the Los Angeles Chargers or Las Vegas Raiders than the Commanders.
4. Eric Bieniemy: Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator, Commanders
We're going to mention Bieniemy here, because he was instrumental in the development of Patrick Mahomes with the Kansas City Chiefs. A case can certainly be made that the Chiefs have missed Bieniemy this year, with Matt Nagy succeeding him as the offensive coordinator under Andy Reid.
But Bieniemy certainly has an edge, something that appeared to rub some -- including tight end Logan Thomas -- the wrong way. Even if he didn't have a long enough runway to really get his guys in place as the offensive coordinator in Washington, the reality is the Commanders lost eight games in a row to finish the season, and Howell played his way out of being a long-term option at quarterback. Bieniemy deserves a shot to lead a team, but our guess is that won't come from Josh Harris and the Commanders.
