The Washington Commanders coaching staff is loaded with the offense leading the way. After hiring Kliff Kingsbury as offensive coordinator, new head coach Dan Quinn added former Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson.
Johnson will be the pass-game coordinator. He also will serve as the assistant head coach. The added title may have drawn some questions about who will run Washington’s offense. However, the roles for Johnson and Kingsbury are defined heading into the season.
According to Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post, Kingsbury retains full control of the offense.
Meanwhile, Johnson will get more experience with the organizational side and other areas that head coaches usually handle. The assistant head coach title may help set up Johnson for future head coach opportunities.
Ironically, Johnson has been a QB coach and offensive coordinator throughout his coaching career. Last year, he took over the Eagles offense, which finished eighth in total yards and seven in scoring. However, his play-calling got heavily criticized as the Eagles sputtered from a 10-1 start to finish the season with an 11-6 record.
The Eagles fired Johnson following their wild-card-round loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the playoffs.
After a notable collegiate career at Utah, Brian Johnson has been an assistant coach since 2010. He has been an offensive coordinator for the Utes, Houston, and Florida. He’s worked with quarterbacks in college like Dak Prescott, Anthony Richardson, and Kyle Allen before he helped tutor Jalen Hurts in the NFL.
Washington’s offensive staff includes Anthony Lynn as the run-game coordinator and running backs coach. Lynn and Kingsbury are former NFL head coaches. Lynn was the assistant head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, who reached the Super Bowl this month. Yet, he will focus on the run game.
Tavita Pritchard will remain the quarterbacks coach, as Quinn retained him from Ron Rivera’s previous staff.
Kingsbury acknowledged during his introduction that the Commanders are still trying to figure out how to mesh the talented coaching staff into roles. Yet, it’s clear Kingsbury will run the offense.
The presence of multiple notable names on the staff will keep everyone focused. Otherwise, pressure could build with so much experience in the room.
