Washington Commanders Hire Former Houston Texans Director of Team Development

The Washington Commanders' attempt to turn things around hasn't stopped as of late. On Monday, the team announced the hiring of Dylan Thompson. General manager Adam Peters continues to make strong moves as the Commanders' future looks brighter each day.

Thompson, formerly the Houston Texans' director of team development, was hired to the Commanders in a similar role.

The role is quite simple -- he's not directly a front office member nor a coach, but rather a mentor or on the personnel team. His role is to help new players adapt to the NFL life and make that transition easier.

Now, it seems Thompson is quite solid in this role. Last season, he helped rookies like CJ Stroud and Tank Dell -- two emerging stars -- adapt to life in the NFL rapidly as those two played a key role in the Texans' quick turnaround.

Thompson formerly played quarterback at the University of South Carolina and he recently helped Stroud to an Offensive Rookie of the Year selection and Will Anderson Jr. to a Defenseive Rookie of the Year selection.

Stroud, who worked closely with Thompson, was very complimentary of the new Commanders staffer.

“I think I grew tremendously, man,” Stroud said. “I know he’s going to be mad at me for this, Dylan Thompson. Oh my gosh, Dylan is one of the best human beings that I’ve ever met in my life. There’s a ton of people, great people in this organization, but DT has been the main person.

With the Commanders having selected Heisman-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Thompson will be working with a familiar situation, and Daniels will be better because of it.

“You talk about a brother like to somebody who loves you no matter what happens on that field, you can feel that. I just appreciate that and now he’s going to be mad at me, but, man, he’s a great person, and really one of the reasons why I feel like we were very successful this year,” Stroud continued.

Daniels isn't the only member in the Commanders rookie class, but he does hold the biggest key to the team's rapid improvement, as Stroud had with the Texans a season ago. If Thompson can have a similar impact, there's plenty for Washington fans to be excited about.

Stick with CommanderGameday and the Locked On Commanders podcast for more coverage of the Washington Commanders throughout the 2024 season.

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