Dan Quinn has been the head coach of the Washington Commanders for more than a week and has already assembled an all-star coaching staff, particularly on offense.
Quinn wasted no time pulling former Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury to Washington as his offensive coordinator. On Thursday, Quinn added another prominent name to the staff, former Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson, as a passing-game coordinator.
Quinn also retained Commanders quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard, who was hired last year by previous head coach Ron Rivera.
On the surface, the collection of coaches is impressive. The Commanders have a strong offensive staff based on the top three names. However, one analyst warns Washington has to be “careful” with meshing the trio together.
“Kingsbury, Johnson, and Pritchard are all good coaches but have never worked together,” Mark Bullock, formerly of The Athletic, tweeted. “Have to make sure they’re all on the same page and delivering consistent messaging to the young QB.”
The Commanders expect to target a quarterback in April’s NFL Draft. Washington has the second overall pick but could try to trade up to No. 1 overall for former Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams. Washington could also settle at two and choose the reigning Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels of LSU or North Carolina star Drake Maye.
“It’s great to have coaches coming in with backgrounds in different systems,” Bullock continued. “It means they have the ability to find lots of answers to different problems, but [the] flip side of that is the QB could end up getting taught conflicting things from each coach. Need that aligned vision.”
Whether Washington picks Williams, Maye, or Daniels, the coaching staff’s vision will be instrumental in the young QB’s development. On paper, Kingsbury, Johnson, and Pritchard are superstar trio. However, the trio must be on the same page regarding how they coach their choice.
Commanders new staff must avoid egos and maintain one direction
The three coaches come from different backgrounds. Kliff Kingsbury has coached a who’s who list of quarterbacks: Patrick Mahomes, Kyler Murray, Baker Mayfield, Johnny Manziel, and Davis Webb. Last season, Kingsbury worked hand-and-hand with Caleb Williams at USC. Kingsbury is also a former NFL head coach and will be at the head of the table for the offensive staff.
Brian Johnson, like Kingsbury, had a notable collegiate career as a quarterback. Johnson has also coached some talented quarterbacks, including Dak Prescott and Anthony Richardson in college and recently Philadelphia Eagles star Jalen Hurts.
Johnson has been an offensive coordinator at three stops in college and with the Eagles last year. He has a wealth of knowledge. Despite how his time in Philadelphia ended, Johnson is well-respected around the league.
Tavita Pritchard is the least known of the group. However, he has made waves as an offensive coordinator at Stanford. Last season, he was the QB coach helping to develop Sam Howell.
Despite coaching for a lame-duck head coach, Pritchard’s name has value. According to Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post, Pritchard turned down other opportunities to stay with Washington. He “really impressed” Quinn and Kingsbury during his interview.
The resumes speak to the vision the Commanders have in place moving forward. No matter who the quarterback is, the three men responsible for his success have knowledge and experience. Yet, as Bullock later mentioned, the Carolina Panthers had a similar setup for Bryce Young. That group of coaches didn’t make it through a season.
There may have been other factors in the Panthers’ ordeal. Quinn must ensure no egos get in the way and the QB of choice doesn’t feel like there are too many chefs in the kitchen.
