What is the story about?
Dan Quinn’s fate is all but sealed. Barring an improbable Commanders playoff push that would need to see at least one postseason win, owner Josh Harris and general manager Adam Peters will be on the hunt for a new “leader of men” come January.
The “brotherhood” has all but ended. The backwards hat, rah-rah bull-crap is nearing a conclusion. The only question now becomes who will be his replacement and which Commanders decision maker will have the most say in the new hire.
Below are my candidates for
Dan Quinn’s replacement. There are more qualified coaches out there who are not on my list, and some who are on this list that are not top choices in my book. We can discuss this in the comment section.
Offensive Coaches
- Klay Kubiak (49ers OC): Sure, Kyle Shanahan calls the plays, but the word from the Bay Area is that Kubiak has a BIG hand in not only weekly game plans but offering game-day play input to Shanahan. I have heard that he’s the young coach that Adam Peters is absolutely smitten with. Klay has been with the 49ers since 2021. He started in a quality control role and quickly rose to his current position as offensive coordinator. 2026 is his second year in that role. He’s viewed as a young up-and-comer within NFL circles.
- Grant Udinski (Jaguars OC): No list would be complete without Grant Udinski on it. The young protege of Liam Cohen in Jacksonville, Udinski has already received head coaching interest, and that’s sure to increase if the Jaguars remain on their current offensive trajectory. At just 30 years of age, he’s viewed as on of the bright young minds in the league. Grant cut his teeth as an assistant in Carolina and Minnesota before being hired by Kevin O’Connell to assistant quarterbacks coach in 2023. He added the title of assistant offensive coordinator the following season. He was poached by Liam Cohen to become his OC in Jacksonville, and during his first year helped Trevor Lawrence to his best season as a pro.
- Declan Doyle (Ravens OC): Another young, rising NFL coaching star, Doyle made a name for himself as Ben Johnson’s right-hand man in Chicago in 2025. Because he wanted autonomy to call plays himself, he joined Jesse Minter in Baltimore where he’s the Ravens offensive architect. He currently has Baltimore’s offense at a top five unit in the NFL after five weeks.
- Mike McDaniel (Chargers OC): If you want an offensive genius, McDaniel may be your guy. He cut his teeth under Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco and showed his chops as an innovative leader in Miami (albeit under poor ownership and with a limited roster). He was hired to be the Chargers offensive coordinator this past offseason and the results out in Los Angeles have not been pretty so far, but a lot of that has to do with injuries and a roster that was built for BIG Ten football.
- Nate Scheelhaase (Rams OC): Scheelhaase is another young, innovative offensive mind who is learning the game under one of the best in Sean McVay. He may need another year of seasoning as an offensive coordinator but make no mistake – he’ll be on team’s radars this winter.
Defensive Coaches
- Brian Flores (Vikings DC): Flores is a well-respected defensive mind with head coaching experience. Minnesota’s defense was third in the NFL in EPA in 2025 and they current rank third in 2026 through five games. A good thing if Flores were to come to Washington, is that he may elect to keep both Daronte Jones and David Blough as his coordinators.
- Anthony Campanile (Jaguars DC): Campanile is viewed as a great leader and teacher. He’s a long-time position coach with stops at Miami and Green Bay before being hired to lead the Jaguars defense in 2025, and that defense would finish in the top 10 in the NFL in EPA. He received head-coaching interest during the 2026 cycle and is certain to generate even more interest this next cycle.
- Chris Shula (Rams DC): The grandson of the legendary Don Shula, Chris is forging his own path as a defensive guru in the NFL. He spent two years as a quality control coach with the Chargers before joining Sean McVay’s staff, where he now calls the defense that is currently ranked in the top five in EPA.
- Jim Leonhard (Bills DC): It seems like dating back to his days as a defensive back at Wisconsin, Leonhard was destined to become a coach. He was a defensive coordinator and interim head coach at his alma mater before making the jump to the NFL with the Broncos in 2024. The Bills saw potential in him and he was hired away from Denver to be the new defensive coordinator under first-time head coach Joe Brady. He’s viewed as a great leader, and future head coach in the NFL.
College Coaches
- Ryan Day (Ohio St. HC): If Ohio State makes another national championship run, don’t be surprised if Day makes the jump to the NFL. He’s long had NFL coaching aspirations and, given the way he’s molded the Buckeyes and consistently put quality players into the NFL, he will garner a ton of interest. He’s viewed as a great leader and a coach players respect.
- Marcus Freeman (Notre Dame HC): Much like Day, Freeman has NFL aspirations. There were rumors that he could make the jump to the NFL during the 2026 coaching cycle, but he chose to remain with the Irish. He has NFL ties from his brief time as a player, and insiders say he could put together a quality staff because of those relationships.
- Lincoln Riley (USC HC): Riley is viewed as an innovative offensive mind who coaches to the strengths of his players. He has no current NFL experience, but there have been rumors in the past of his interest at the game’s highest level.
- Steve Sarkisian (Texas HC): There have been rumors of Sark returning to the NFL for the past few years. He may not want to start again after Arch Manning leaves for the NFL, so this could be the year he tries his hand as an NFL head coach. He previously had stints with the Raiders (QB coach) and Falcons (OC).
Former NFL head coaches who are currently unemployed
- Sean McDermott: McDermott, who went 98-50 as the Bills head coach, should have his pick of some openings in the 2027 cycle. I know there are some in the Commanders organization who really like him.
- Mike Tomlin: I’m reluctantly putting Tomlin on this list — not because I don’t respect him as a head coach (he was one of my favorite coaches in the league for many years), but because I feel he’s a bit old-school now for my liking. Still, he’s a great leader of men and CEO-type who can do well if put into the right situation.
