Former Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera and former Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis are top candidates in the Washington Redskins’ head coach search, according to various reports.
Lewis is a “very real contender” for the Redskins head coach job, according to JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington.
Rivera is the “primary” candidate to man the Redskins’ sidelines next season, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.
Rivera was fired by the Carolina Panthers following a Week 13 loss to the Redskins after nine seasons as the Panthers’ head coach. Rivera 54.6% of his games in Carolina, leading them to an NFC Championship in 2015 with a 15-1 regular season record and an appearance in Super Bowl 50.
Carolina won three consecutive NFC South division titles from 2013-2015.
Lewis spent 16 seasons as the Bengals head coach. He won 51.8% of his games and led the Bengals to four AFC North division titles and seven playoff appearances. Unfortunately, his tenure in Cincinnati was marred by a 0-7 playoff record.
Lewis also spent one season (2002) as the Redskins’ defensive coordinator. So, he has some familiarity to the franchise and owner Dan Snyder. That season the Redskins ranked fifth in yards allowed.
Other names linked to the Redskins head coach opening — whether real or speculation — are former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer, who recently was in attendance at FedEx Field for a Redskins’ game, and Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy.
Recent reports suggested Snyder has been consulting with a small group of football people outside of the Redskins organization advising on the next direction for the franchise. There is growing speculation Snyder may also be looking for a new general manager that may lead to the ousting of longtime team president Bruce Allen.
How the two searches tie together is unclear. But, it appears big changes are looming for the Washington Redskins.
