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The Washington Commanders have to be disappointed with how the 2025 season turned out. Washington went 5-12 during the regular season one year after making it to the NFC Championship. Now the Commanders are making some changes to their coaching staff in the hopes of improving during the 2026 season.
The Commanders will interview former Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon for their vacant defensive coordinator job on Thursday, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Washington parted ways with both Kliff Kingsbury and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. last week. The Commanders have since promoted interim quarterbacks coach David Blough to offensive coordinator. That left them with just one more coordinator position to fill.
Gannon could be an interesting fit with the Commanders.
He spent the last three seasons as the head coach in Arizona. During his three years, the Cardinals went a combined 15-36 during the regular season. They did not make the playoffs during the Gannon regime.
Before the Cardinals, Gannon was the defensive coordinator with the Eagles in 2021 and 2022.
Gannon’s defense could not get the job done in Arizona this season. In fact, they ranked nearly the bottom of the league in yards allowed per game (357.7, 27th) and points allowed per game (28.7, 29th).
Perhaps a return to defensive coordinator could be just the change that Gannon needs to get his career back on track. It could also be a huge upgrade for the Commanders.
But Gannon is not the only option for Washington.
The Commanders have already interviewed Titans defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson for the job over the weekend. Washington also interviewed former Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores on Wednesday.
Flores is widely regarded as one of the best defensive minds in the NFL. He could be Washington’s leading candidate for the position.
However, since Flores is in such high demand, it is entirely possible that Washington misses out on him. That makes it a smart move to interview other candidates like Gannon as backup options.
It will be interesting to see who else the Commanders interview for this position.
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