Jonathan Gannon's sack numbers are a mirage Dan Quinn must avoid

ASHBURN, Va. – I’ve made it no secret that Brian Flores is my ideal candidate for the Washington Commanders’ defensive coordinator job, but it takes more than just one reporter’s opinion to make a deal happen. If it doesn’t come together, a candidate like Jonathan Gannon, who is interviewing with the team this week, is another potential coach who could come in and take over the duties last run by head coach Dan Quinn and currently held by Joe Whitt Jr.

In Gannon, the Commanders have a candidate who is rich in experience but a little top-heavy in true impact. Given Quinn’s desire to continuously learn and innovate, rather than simply copying and pasting the successful processes of the past, Gannon will come with some red flags, but if he proves a step back to coordinator will spark growth in his system, he might be the right man for the job.

Until recently, Gannon was the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, hired in 2023 after serving as the Philadelphia Eagles' defensive coordinator during an amazing 2022 season. That year, the Washington rival went to the Super Bowl, but fell to the Kansas City Chiefs.

In his last season with the Eagles, Gannon’s defense collected 70 sacks, with four members of the unit getting 10 or more each. In the last two seasons, his Cardinals defense had 71 total.

It turns out the near-record-breaking season of 2022 was the exception, not the rule.

Jan 4, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon on the sidelines against the Los Angeles Rams during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The 'HITS' philosophy vs. reality

While Gannon’s acronym for what he wants out of his defense, H.I.T.S. (Hustle, Intensity, Takeaways, Smarts), sounds good, it didn’t produce all that well outside of that one glorious year in Philadelphia; a year where fans of the team were still commonly frustrated with the mostly passive approach to defense they watched every game day according to Locked On Eagles host Louie DiBiase.

Gannon’s priority hasn’t been getting after the quarterback; it has been preventing explosive plays, even if it means giving up a chunk here or there in the running game.

This has led to soft zone coverages and very little blitzing, relying on dominant pass rushers who can win on their own without the benefit of disguises or extra rushers.

In 2022, Gannon’s defense collected those 70 sacks while rushing just four men over 70 percent of the time. With the Cardinals, his blitz rate never exceeded 26 percent, even as his teams struggled to affect the quarterback or prevent scoring. His bend don’t break approach, plainly, broke.

Gannon is a man of great experience, but the fact is that the Arizona defense he inherited in 2023 is worse off in just about every significant metric, especially in points allowed per game, when he was fired.

Jan 28, 2025; Mobile, AL, USA; Washington Commanders general manager Adam Peters talks with Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan during Senior Bowl practice for the National team at Hancock Whitney Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images | Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

Roster dependency creates pressure on Peters

That one great season seems much more about the defensive roster Eagles general manager Howie Roseman was able to put together than the scheme Gannon drove them with.

And if the coach can’t create opportunities, which Washington has seen happen all too often already under Quinn’s watch, it puts more pressure on general manager Adam Peters to live up to Roseman’s roster-building prowess. Given that Roseman is considered the best in the business by many, that’s a tall order for any third-year general manager, let alone one entering this offseason with one of the worst, yet oldest, defenses in the NFL.

That doesn’t sound to me like the kind of operation Quinn and Peters want to run, but Gannon will have the chance to do what we can’t and explain why the picture his teams paint about him as a coach is inaccurate. If he can do that, then he’s got a shot. Until then, Flores is going to stay at the top of our list, with fingers firmly crossed that if he doesn’t get a head coaching job, he sees the Commanders as a project worth taking on.

Stick with CommanderGameday and the Locked On Commanders podcast for more FREE coverage of the Washington Commanders throughout the 2025 season.

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