Washington Offseason Primer: The New Staff and What To Expect

February 15, 2024

by David Earl

Eric Bieniemy Departure Significant?

We all saw a complete house cleaning of Washington’s coaching staff coming. The new offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury will bring a far more balanced attack than Bieniemy’s scheme last season, as discussed here. Before I dive into the staffing hires, let’s quickly discuss what the ramifications of moving on from Bieniemy mean beyond just his impactd as a playcaller. During the offseason, the players were frustrated with his intense approach and fan’s reactions were very mixed. Even as LeSean McCoy highly criticized Bieniemy’s approach, although many wrote his opinion off as a veteran player who expected special treatment, especially only being in Kansas City for 1 season.  We heard about the altercation between him and Terry McLaurin. The puzzle pieces are coming all together about Eric Bieniemy.

One of the main reasons we heard about why Bieniemy never got a head coaching job was his intensity toward the players and how his old-school approach rubbed many the wrong way. You may consider these players soft for thinking this way, but this era of football is certainly different than the 80s or 90s. While I have my personal view, the point I want to stress is that a coach shouldn’t just blast your team captain in front of his peers unless warranted. McLaurin stepping in on a perceived unnecessary cheap hit on a teammate during camp is him playing a leadership role that Bieniemy appears to have undermined. It seems like that is this type of coaching he has been criticized for over the years, so many owners may have felt would be a locker room losing situation. Granted, this is an assumption on my end; other reports state he interviewed poorly among other areas of concern. The bottom line is that Bieniemy will have a new home next season and this current coaching staff has a lot of promise going forward.

The Coaching Staff

The staff Dan Quinn has begun to build may have some question marks, such as offensive line coach Bobby Johnson, but there is no denying the hires are specific and calculating. These coaches come from structured systems and have established themselves as some of the more respected coaches in their positions. For the last several years the staff seemed underwhelming and disconnected in the philosophy of coaching, which we saw translated on the field. Scott Turner was a mild, laid-back coordinator who didn’t appear to be a great teacher or motivator, yet Ron Rivera preached how his staff must develop their players. Then they bring in a coach who is the exact opposite, Bieniemy, who appeared as more of a militant. How is this relevant? Well, Ron’s hire of Scott seemed more of a comfort-level selection than a hire based on production, while Bieniemy was a top coordinator name to help save his job. It just didn’t seem like any true philosophy was being implemented while infusing little to no innovation into the organization. What’s so different about the recent hires?

• Joe Whitt Jr., Defensive Coordinator: This could scream “comfort-level hire”, as mentioned earlier but that would be a lazy assessment. Whitt has not only worked for Quinn before, but he’s been integral in shifting his coaching philosophy to today’s NFL offenses. His units have flourished since he cameinto the league as a defensive backs coach in 2007. As an assistant in Green Bay, the Packers secondary led the NFL twice, in 2009 and 2010, in total interceptions plus continued success in Atlanta and then Dallas. Two seasons with Dallas saw Trevon Diggs tie the franchise record in interceptions with 14 and DaRon Bland set an NFL single-season record for most interceptions returned for touchdowns in a single season (5). With Washington’s secondary being one of the worst units in the NFL, this hire works two-fold. Not only does he bring the familiarity of a Dan Quinn defense that had Dallas playing at an elite level, but Whitt’s secondary resume is what this unit needs.
• Kliff Kingsbury, Offensive Coordinator: I won’t go into great detail here as there is skepticism from my perspective and this column covers his track record offensively. What he does bring is an innovative passing scheme complimented by a strong running game. Maybe his time as a head coach in Arizona took him away from being a fully effective play caller, and coming back into the NFL as an offensive coordinator is where he truly belongs. The recent hiring of Anthony Lynn as run game coordinator could provide the veteran voice Kingsbury needs in his ear in game planning and in-game adjustments. I hope for the best but not expecting great consistency (to be honest).
• Brian Johnson, Undefined Offensive Position: Last season for the Eagles Brian Johnson didn’t have the smoothies transition into the offensive coordinator role but that won’t be his role in Washington. Although his role is currently undefined, his two seasons as a successful quarterbacks coach may help define his potential role. Johnson is accredited for the development of Jalen Hurts and setting him up to be a serious contender for league MVP in the 2022 season. Under Johnson’s coaching, Hurts had a significant jump in production from the 2021 season to the 2022 season. Had a +5.2% increase in completion percentage (66.5%) and an improved quarterback rating from 87.2 to 101.5 just to name a few. This hire will go a long way in developing Sam Howell or a rookie quarterback in this year’s draft.
• Ken Norton Jr., Linebackers Coach: With newly hired defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. having his influence on the secondary, Ken Norton Jr. brings a high level of respect to a talent-depleted linebacker room. Not just as a former player either but as a linebacker coach and defensive coordinator in the NFL. It is with this experience that Norton will help mold Jamin Davis and any rookie drafted to this unit. Quinn will surely have a focus on building a unit void of any impact players and Norton with the retaining of Ryan Kerrigan is ideal in this role.

This staff, which includes one of the league’s better special teams coaches, Larry Izzo, is filled with respected coordinators. The direction from Dan Quinn is very clear in the philosophy and development of players. His direction seems to be a balanced offense with big play ability through Kingsbury and a defense that will attack the ball generating turnovers. Of course this will not be an overnight fix, which is why the staff he put together will bring special detailed attention to player development which is what he lacked in Atlanta as a head coach. Quinn has put in place two coordinators he can trust to give complete control and coordinators below them to execute their respective plans.

With that all said, it is a staff done in a very calculated way. The quarterback position, whether Sam Howell or a rookie, is going to be addressed properly. Kingsbury and Johnson are great at developing the quarterback position in order to get the most from their players. Last season’s historically bad secondary will be guided by one of the best in the business in Whitt through a scheme that will best suit their abilites. Addressing a barren waste land at linebacker, Ken Norton Jr. will properly mentor and teach any in coming young linebackers behind a solid Jamin Davis.  These very specific hires address the team’s biggest areas of concern with one hire maybe a bit of a head scratcher in offensive line coach in Bobby Johnson. The former coach for the Giants does not carry a great resume of success for New York but the situation there may have played a bigger part in his lack of success. Regardless, Johnson has a giant task ahead of him so hopefully a change of scenery will do him good.

Final Thoughts

The staff constructed by Dan Quinn may not be 100% perfect but his vision is very clear. Lessons learned from his Atlanta head coaching time have directed him to assemble a more complete staff rooted in experienced and innovative coaching. This staff is geared to either take Sam Howell to the next level or, in the most likely scenario, develop a potential franchise quarterback from the 2024 draft. The defense should be in good hands over the next couple of years guided by Quinn and his staff. On paper anyway, this staff should create a more disciplined team on both sides of the ball while being a smart football team in key moments of the game. For the last 5 years, Washington has been a team void of accountability and true leadership from their coaching staff which has directly affected the play on the field. By all accounts, that should end this season as Washington is in a very good position to start turning their fortunes around and that all starts with the leadership of Quinn and his coaching staff.