Post Bob Meyers Hire, Commanders Eye a New Director of Football Prior to HC

Published 01/10/2024, 2:43 PM EST

Things are on high alert at the Washington Commanders. Almost immediately after firing head coach Ron Rivera, owner Josh Harris made the eye-catching decision to hire two elite executives. But the group has once again brought a quick update to their plan if NFLonCBS’s Jonathan Jones is to be believed.

According to the insider, the franchise is determined to find a potent director for their football operations, and quickly, in the hopes that they can help the team find their next HC. Jones also expects the number of head coaching candidates to go up with time.

Commanders want a president of football ops first: NFL Insider

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Jonathan Jones made his expectations public in X, sharing the potential future move by Josh Harris. The franchise wants to get rid of its existing problems at the management level and hopes for a fresh build. For that reason, they have hired two top strategists with NBA and NFL connections. And it looks like the pair is already at work with the decision.

Washington wants to hire the president of football ops first — and quickly — and then that person will determine the coach. I’d expect the list of coaching candidates (currently known to be at 6) to expand.
— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) January 10, 2024

The president of football operations is the post credited with all hiring decisions. The upcoming one at Washington will begin with a replacement of Ron Rivera, and then possibly lay his hands on the coordinators or even existing players if he thinks fit. According to Jones, the current number of candidates for head coaching, six, may get extended for better evaluations.

Ron Rivera Fired: Five Head Coaches Who Can Save Washington Commanders and Magic Johnson

But what would be the outcome of all of this? Statistics show a devastating trend following the takeover from Josh Harris, but can a quick makeover of the management and staff solve the problems that have been nurtured over the years?

A tyrannical breakout, or a calculated move by the Commanders?

Days ago, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Josh Harris was hiring top NBA executive and the architect of the Golden State Warriors Bob Myers, as well as former Vikings’ GM Rick Spielman: both some of the best in their business. The group was to decide the future HC at the Commanders. But they have turned their attention to somewhere else for now, after instructions from the owner who only took over last year.

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But doesn’t the ownership have an equally big role to play behind the breakdown? The question arrives particularly after Ron Rivera closed the season with 4-13, with the loss against the Cowboys after Harris purchased the franchise for $6 billion last summer. That was not only Rivera’s worst record for the Commanders but also his career-worst numbers.

The HC with 13 years of coaching experience led a Panthers team to a league-best 15-1 record in 2015 and orchestrated three 11+ win seasons for them. Things may have gone all wrong at a higher level for it to break down this badly at the Commanders, and management isn’t always the first one to blame. But they are certainly the first and foremost scapegoat, in some cases.

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Is replacing Rivera with a quick decision and hiring a new GM only to hand him the added responsibility of hiring a new head coach within one week of joining a smart move by the ownership? We may never know, until and unless another fallout crumbles the 3x Super Bowl winner Commanders.

Watch This Story: NFL News Update: Five Reasons Why Ron Rivera Was Fired by Washington Commanders

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My story of becoming an NFL writer is as interesting as my story of becoming an MMA practitioner. Coming from such a sport where athletes look to knock the brain cells off each other for a living, I liked the aggression that American Football had to offer. Before I even realized it, I religiously started following American football, picking up the most challenging in-depth write-ups.

Edited by:

Donna Eva

Post Bob Meyers Hire, Commanders Eye a New Director of Football Prior to HC

Commanders want a president of football ops first: NFL Insider

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A tyrannical breakout, or a calculated move by the Commanders?