Cowboys Coach vs. Chip Kelly vs. 49ers' Kubiak: Who'll Commanders' Dan Quinn Hire as Coordinator?
Washington Commanders managing partner Josh Harris promised a “rapid but thorough process” when it comes to finding the new leaders to take his franchise to new heights.
Those words were put into action by hiring general manager Adam Peters less than one week later, but many Commanders fans had grown anxious as news of a head coaching hire didn’t come as quickly as they had hoped.
That anxiety was magnified by the hiring or otherwise development of candidates becoming available on a seemingly daily basis before it was announced that former Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn was headed to Washington.
UCLA Bruins head coach Chip Kelly reacts during the first quarter against the Boise State Broncos in the Starco Brands LA Bowl at SoFi Stadium.
Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
Now, the tempo is picking back up as earlier we got reports of an impending defensive coordinator hire, and now there may be offensive coordinator developments coming in as well.
We have reported before a connection between Quinn and Kelly when the Seattle job was in play. Now ESPN is echoing that.
“UCLA head coach Chip Kelly is a potential candidate for Commanders OC under new head coach Dan Quinn, per sources,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported Thursday night. “Kelly, a two-time NFL head coach, is believed to have interest in returning to the league and Washington will consider talking with him.”
Kelly first hit the national stage as the offensive coordinator and then head coach of the Oregon Ducks from 2007-2012 and then led the Philadelphia Eagles for three years before coaching the San Francisco 49ers to a 2-14 record in 2016.
After a year out of football he returned as the head coach of the UCLA Bruins where he’s been since 2018.
In that time Kelly has won enough games (69) to place him 8th All-Time in wins for the school’s football program, but has barely cleared the .500 mark in those six seasons.
He’s also led the Bruins to just two bowl games and is 1-1 in those.
As recent as November there was widespread speculation Kelly could be fired by UCLA after breaking even in the win-loss column with no bowl game to speak of. But an end of the year win over rival USC appears to have spared him for now, despite the protests of many.
Now, it appears Kelly may not only have staved off termination, but could also be in the running for a promotion to the professional league once again. This time as a coordinator and not a head coach, which is a significant difference.
Kelly also interviewed multiple times for the Las Vegas Raiders offensive coordinator position before they decided to go with former Arizona Cardinals coach Klint Kingsbury.
This is no done deal. Eric Bieniemy still has an office here, and Niners assistant Klint Kubiak and maybe someone off the Dallas Cowboys offensive staff are likely in play as well.
Quinn's preferred defensive hire is Joe Whitt Jr. from Dallas. We're about to find out who the top offensive guy is as well.
