Meet the 2020 Redskins coaching staff
January 20, 2020
by Steve Thomas
New Redskins head coach Ron Rivera moved quickly to put his coaching staff together after he was hired by Dan Snyder shortly after the Redskins’ 2019 season ended. Curious about who these guys are and what they’ve accomplished? I know I am, and in those circumstances, I usually write insanely long columns to commit my newfound knowledge to permanent record. Well, this column isn’t all that long, so let’s just get right into it.
Offense
Offensive Coordinator – Scott Turner: Turner is the son of former Redskins, Raiders, and Chargers head coach Norv Turner. Scott, who is 37 years old, came to the Redskins from the Carolina Panthers, where he was originally hired as the quarterbacks coach in 2018 but was promoted to offensive coordinator on December 3, 2019, after Rivera was fired by the Panthers. Turner began his coaching career as a graduate assistant with Oregon St. in 2005 and then served as the head coach of South County High School in Lorton, Virginia, from 2006 – 07. He returned to the collegiate ranks from 2008 – 10 when he was an offensive assistance and later wide receivers coach for the University of Pittsburgh. Turner initially broke into the NFL as an offensive quality control coach with the Carolina Panthers in 2011. He then had stops with the Browns in 2013 and the Vikings from 2014 – 2016, as wide receivers coach and quarterbacks coach, respectively. Turner returned to college coaching in 2017 when he served as offensive analyst at the University of Michigan in 2017.
Turner’s biggest success stories to date have been serving as wide receiver Josh Gordon’s position coach in Cleveland in 2013, which was the year Gordon gained 1,646 yards on 87 receptions, and then working with Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater in Minnesota for two years before Bridgewater’s horrific leg injury in 2016. Turner also worked with Panthers’ star quarterback Cam Newton in 2018.
Turner only served as the Panthers’ offensive coordinator for one month, so this is his first real shot as an offensive coordinator at any level. His father is a disciple of the Air Coryell system, whereas the Panthers followed the Erhardt-Perkins system under Rivera, but reports indicated that the Redskins will be transitioning from Jay Gruden’s West Coast system to Air Coryell next season.
Quarterbacks – Ken Zampese: Zampese’s father Ernie is a venerable name in NFL circles, having coached in the NFL between 1976 and 2004, where his last stop was as an offensive consultant with the Redskins in 2004. Ken began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at USC in 1990 – 91. His first NFL job was as an offensive assistant with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1998. He was an offensive assistant, wide receivers coach, and then passing game coordinator for the St. Louis Rams during their “greatest show on turf” days between 2000 – 02. Zampese was Marvin Lewis’ quarterbacks coach in Cincinnati, where he worked with Andy Dalton, and was later the offensive coordinator in 2016 – 2017 after offensive coordinator Jay Gruden was hired by the Redskins. He then served as Baker Mayfield’s first position coach in Cleveland in 2018. Zampese was the offensive coordinator for an AAF team in 2019 before the league folded, then finished out the year as a quality control analyst at the University of Florida before being hired by the Redskins.
Offensive Line – John Matsko: Matsko played his college ball at Kent St. and began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at the University of Miami in 1974. He first broke into the NFL in 1992 when he was hired by the then-Phoenix Cardinals as the team’s offensive line coach. Matsko has served in that capacity ever since then, with stops with the Saints, Giants, Rams, Chiefs, and Ravens, plus an 8 year stint with Rivera in Carolina prior to being hired by Rivera again with the Redskins.
Running Backs – Randy Jordan: Jordan has been the Redskins’ running backs coach since 2014 under former head coach Jay Gruden. Prior to his arrival in Washington, he had been a collegiate running backs coach between 2004 and 2013, with stops at Nebraska, Texas A&M, and North Carolina. Jordan coached former Redskins running back Roy Helu, Jr. at Nebraska. Prior to becoming a coach, Jordan played in the NFL from 1998 – 2002 (with a break in 1994) for the Oakland Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars.
Wide Receivers – Jim Hostler: Hostler has been an NFL coach since 2000, when he started as a quality coach coach with the Kansas City Chiefs. He began his coaching career at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1990, where he stayed until 1999 in various capacities, with a one year hiatus to Juniata College in 1993. During his time in the NFL, Hostler has served with the Chiefs (2000), Saints (2001-02, Asst WRs), Jets (2003-2004, QBs & WRs), 49ers (2005-07, QBs & OC), Ravens (2008-13, WRs), Bills (2014, senior offensive assistant), Colts (2015-17, WRs & TEs), Packers (2018, passing game coordinator), and Panthers (WRs, 2019). During his career, Hostler has coached a host of elite players such as Aaron Rodgers, Anquan Boldin, T.Y. Hilton, Andre Johnson, Alex Smith, and Frank Gore.
Tight Ends – Pete Hoener: Hoener, 68, has been coaching in the NFL and in college since 1975, including stints with, among others, the then-St. Louis/Arizona Cardinals, Purdue, Texas A&M, Chicago Bears, 49ers, and Panthers (2018).
Defense
Defensive Coordinator – Jack Del Rio: Del Rio was a linebacker at USC before being drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the third round of the 1985 draft. He played for the Saints, Chiefs, Cowboys, Vikings, and Dolphins until 1996. After his playing career ended, he was hired by the Saints as an assistant strength coach in 1997, then promoted to linebackers coach in 1998. Del Rio served in the same capacity with the Baltimore Ravens between 1999 – 2001 before being hired as the Panthers’ defensive coordinator in 2002. That job only lasted one year, as he became the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2003, a position he held through 2011. Del Rio then was the defensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos between 2012 – 2014 before taking over as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders in 2015. He was fired in 2017 and has been out of football since then until being hired by the Redskins.
Del Rio earned a Super Bowl Ring with the Ravens in 2000, where he coached an historically great linebacker corps featuring Hall of Famer Ray Lewis. His Jaguars teams were mostly mediocre, topping out at 12 – 4 and a loss to the Patriots in the Wild Card round in 2005. The 2006 squad had the most successful defense, allowing just 274 points scored, which was 4th in the NFL that year. The 2008 – 2010 defenses were all unsuccessful, culminating with 419 points against (ranked 27th) in 2010. Del Rio’s best defense in Denver was 2012, with just 289 points against, which was 4th in the league. As head coach of the Raiders, Del Rio’s best season came in 2016, when the team finished 12 – 4 and made a playoff appearance, losing to the Texans in the Wild Card game. All of Del Rio’s defenses have played the 4 – 3 with the exception of the 2017 Raiders.
Defensive Line – Sam Mills III: He is the son of 5x Pro Bowler and Carolina Panthers ring of honor member Sam Mills, who passed away in 2005 after a battle with intestinal cancer. Mills III played his college ball at Montclair St. and joined the Panthers in 2005 as the team’s strength and conditioning coach. He remained with the Panthers through the 2019 season, also serving as the defensive quality control coach and as the assistant defense line coach, then defensive line coach.
Linebackers – Steve Russ: Russ was drafted by the Denver Broncos out of Air Force in round 7 of the 1995 draft and played for the Broncos from 1997 – 2000), along with one year in the XFL in 2001. Russ then coached in the collegiate ranks from 2001 – 2017 before being hired by Rivera as the Panthers’ linebackers coach in 2018.
Defensive backs – Chris Harris: Harris was drafted in the 6th round of the 2005 draft by the Chicago Bears out of Louisiana-Monroe. He played with the Bears, Lions, and Jaguars through the 2012 season, then re-joined the Bears organization as a defensive quality control coach from 2013 – 14. He was the Chargers’ assistant defensive backs coach from 2016 – 2019 before being hired by Rivera in Washington.
Special Teams – Nate Kaczor: Kaczor the other holdover from the Jay Gruden era, having been hired in January, 2019. He has been coaching in the NFL since 2008 and served as a special teams coordinator with the Tennessee Titans in 2013 – 15, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2018 to 2018 prior to joining the Redskins.