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According to reports, the Commanders have interviewed Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson. While the AFC South club struggled once again in 2025, the coach continues to bolster his reputation as an exceptional talent developer who can do more with less.
Several others are also in contention. Still, nobody should be complaining too much if Washington went down this route.
Wilson is a Maryland native. He was on Washington’s practice squad in 2004. He’s cut his teeth with the New York Jets, Los Angeles Rams, and the Philadelphia Eagles. He also learned under Mike Macdonald with the Baltimore Ravens before securing the job in Tennessee.
The Titans don’t exactly have high-class personnel on defense. Wilson helped turn defensive lineman Jeffrey Simmons into an All-Pro. Young players have praised him endlessly for his sterling work in helping them reach their targets. This interview is also more evidence that Quinn may be aiming to hire someone outside his typical circle.
Washington needs some fresh ideas. Quinn needs a complete overhaul of the playing personnel, too. Wilson has a decent enough track record to make him a lively outsider for the job. And if he impressed enough during his interview with the Commanders, he may just go to the front of the queue.
Commanders Wire
The Raiders’ defensive coordinator uses a unique four-man front that could unlock Daron Payne and allow Frankie Luvu to roam free.
[W]hat coach Graham has been doing, mostly with the Las Vegas Raiders, fits the mold of what I think we should see when we hear head coach Dan Quinn describe what the defense should look like in Washington.
So while we’ve been saying that a new flavor is needed to be mixed in with this current Commanders’ defense, Graham is setting a high bar to cross for others who might become the top candidate in this team’s search.
The ‘Light Box’ difference
About the only place we can point to Graham’s history as a defensive coordinator and say that it’s similar to what the Commanders have been doing already is the use of light boxes. To be clear, when we say ‘light box,’ we’re talking about the defense having fewer than seven total players in the immediate area of the offensive line.
[W]hile the Commanders paired light boxes with mostly three-man fronts (three defenders on the line of scrimmage with a hand on the ground), Graham and Las Vegas did it using four.
That one difference alone helped the Raiders control more at the line of scrimmage and allow their linebackers opportunities to make plays, whereas the approach in Washington led to several occasions where linebackers like Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu were trying to overpower or escape blocks from guards and pulling tackles.
In his two years playing under Graham, for example, linebacker Robert...
