Sean McDermott instantly becomes a Commanders' top defensive target

ASHBURN, Va. – The Washington Commanders need a new defensive coordinator and have done plenty of due diligence in their pursuit of one. Early this week, the pool of candidates lost one member and gained another after Jeff Ulbrich agreed to a new deal and Sean McDermott was fired from his.

Ulbrich was never truly in play, from the way I saw it playing out, due in large part to the Atlanta Falcons blocking him from interviews with teams like the Commanders, who might pry him away for a lateral position.

Why Jeff Ulbrich stayed in Atlanta

As the defensive coordinator of the Falcons under head coach Raheem Morris, he was still under contract after Morris was fired, giving the franchise the right to block him. However, when teams like Washington come calling, even for lateral opportunities, teams don’t usually block the requests without at least the coach in question being on board with the decision to do so. Trapping someone in a job they no longer want is typically viewed as bad business, but the optics of turning down interview requests are unsavory as well.

While Atlanta searched for and eventually found its new head coach, Kevin Stefanski, the franchise has now agreed to a new three-year deal for Ulbrich, effectively rewarding him for his patience and reinforcing his standing as one of the top defensive coaches in the game today.

Even if I didn’t believe the connection would ever bear fruit, Ulbrich was a hot name for many when it came to the Commanders’ search. Another name that hasn’t been mentioned until early this week, but will become a hot one immediately, is Sean McDermott.

Sean McDermott's defensive resume fits perfectly

After nine seasons at the controls of the Buffalo Bills’ football team, McDermott was fired following his team’s heartbreaking overtime loss to the Denver Broncos. In his nine years, the Bills finished with a losing record just once and made the playoffs every season except for that one.

Buffalo also pulled off a five-year run of AFC East Division Championships, until losing that seat to the New England Patriots this season.

Coincidentally, while McDermott has been unable to lead the franchise to its first Super Bowl during his tenure, the Patriots will visit the Broncos in the AFC Championship Game next weekend after first winning the division for the first time in six seasons, but the 12th time in the last 17.

That fell back to second place in group play, and watching New England once again ascend to the top of the conference may have played a role in the Bills' ownership deciding they’d rather make a run at it with someone different than risk perpetuating their status as also-rans any longer.

What could also have played a role is that McDermott’s defense has slipped out of the top 10 in scoring over the past two seasons, landing 11th in 2024 and 12th in 2025. Before that, his team had been top five in five of the past six seasons.

A top-10 defense is the goal

A top-12 scoring defense would appeal greatly to Washington, which finished with the 18th- and 27th-ranked scoring defenses the past two years, respectively. When McDermott took over in Buffalo, the defense was coming off a 16th-place finish in defensive scoring. While McDermott’s group actually finished 18th in his first two seasons, the team jumped up to No. 2 overall, sparking a consistent run of being in the top 10.

With the news of McDermott’s firing still fresh, it’s unknown at the time of this writing whether or not he’ll look to coach in 2026 or if he’ll take time off like Mike Tomlin is reportedly doing after stepping down as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

If McDermott wants to coach again this season, however, he’ll likely be a popular name for one of the seven head coaching jobs still open, not including the Bills, the Falcons, and the New York Giants, who have already made hires.

However, if he doesn’t land in one of those spots, he’d be a strong candidate for the open defensive coordinator job for the Commanders; right up there with other veterans like Brian Flores (Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator) and fresh minds like Karl Scott (Seattle Seahawks defensive pass game coordinator/defensive backs coach).

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