7 Head Coach Replacement Options for Washington Redskins
Jay Gruden can still secure a .500 finish with the Washington Redskins for what would be his third non-losing season out of four. Yet it would still mean a third year out of four with no playoff football, a fact that puts him firmly on the hot seat.
Replacing Gruden needn't be a worry for the Redskins since as many as seven viable candidates are set to be available this offseason. Among them, four have previous experience as head coaches, which is a crucial trait.
Speaking of attributes the Redskins should covet in their next appointment, four members of this list are noted for their defensive expertise. Washington's last three head coaches have all had backgrounds on the other side of the ball, but the trend hasn't yielded the success expected.
Considering the talent on D outweighs what the Redskins have on offense, it's time for a change of emphasis.
Alternatively, there are three quality offensive coordinators to consider if the Burgundy and Gold want to repair their own unit for 2018.
Find out which seven coaches represent the best choices to replace Gruden.
Mike Shula
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The Carolina Panthers aren't the most explosive offense in the NFL, but few units play to their strengths as well. It's a habit made possible by the smart planning of offensive coordinator Mike Shula, a solid candidate to be Washington's next head coach.
Coaching is in the genes for the son of Hall of Famer Don Shula, but Mike has established his reputation on merit. A stint in charge at Alabama, as well as tours as an assistant with the Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Chicago Bears and Jacksonville Jaguars prove he has trodden his own path as a coach.
His background as a quarterbacks coach, both with the Jags and Panthers, should appeal to a Redskins franchise possibly facing having to replace its starter under center this offseason.
Specifically, Shula's work with Cam Newton in Charlotte is one of the standout points on his resume. He was the top pick in the 2011 NFL draft, and Shula's coaching got him up to speed quickly.
What has defined Newton's career has been the quarterback-friendly offense built around his particular set of skills. Shula rose to coordinator in 2012 and has mixed in read-option principles and vertical passing routes to maximize his quarterback's mobility and flair for the big play.
He has also made sure Newton has plenty of safety valves, with tight end Greg Olsen a prime example. The mix of deep balls and dumpoffs has made Newton a more efficient passer.
Tailoring his schemes specifically to the players he has is Shula's best quality. It's been obvious this season as he's worked Christian McCaffrey's receiving skills into his system. The rookie running back has a team-high 73 catches.
The Panthers still remain a run-first offense, though. Shula has shown a willingness to take advantage of Jonathan Stewart's workhorse tendencies and allow the run to be the platform for everything else.
After four years of Gruden largely overlooking the run, the Redskins could use a similar commitment on the ground game.
Adapting to the players he has makes Shula a worthy head coach in waiting. Plenty would be dubious about hiring another Shula offspring after brother Dave flopped with the Cincinnati Bengals in the 1990s.
However, Mike has the smart and steady temperament to prove the doubters wrong. His ability to develop a rookie quarterback would prove invaluable if the Redskins let Kirk Cousins test free agency and turn to the draft to replace him.
Steve Spagnuolo
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Handing the keys to the kingdom to quarterbacks coaches and offensive coordinators hasn't paid dividends for owner Dan Snyder, making 2018 an ideal time to consider a figure from the other side of the ball.
One name Snyder may have in mind is a familiar one in Steve Spagnuolo. He has pitted his wits against the Redskins regularly during two spells as defensive coordinator for NFC East rivals the New York Giants.
His recent ascension to interim head coach after the dismissal of Ben McAdoo has added to Spagnuolo's experience as the man in charge. He first gained knowledge of the main role after being hired as head coach of the then-St. Louis Rams in 2009.
While Spagnuolo's stint only yielded a 10-38 overall record, there were still some positives. He worked with a top draft pick at quarterback, Sam Bradford, in 2010. He eased the burden on Bradford, who took the Rams to within a game of winning the NFC West as a rookie.
Spags also showed an astute judgement of offensive coordinators using Pat Shurmur and Josh McDaniels in the role.
Ultimately, though, his reputation is built upon expertise on defense. Spagnuolo's first stop with the Giants saw the construction of a unit defined by a swarming pass rush borne from an enviable rotation along the line and sophisticated blitz concepts.
The Spagnuolo blueprint helped the Giants batter Tom Brady into submission and stun the 18-0 New England Patriots to win Super Bowl XLII in 2008. Snyder was left suitably impressed and tried to hire Spagnuolo, per John Branch of the New York Times.
His latest spell with the Giants has included overseeing a defense ranked second in points allowed and 10th in yards surrendered in 2016. Things have unravelled across the board for Big Blue this season, but Spagnuolo has kept his head amid injuries, player bust-ups and turmoil above him.
Hiring Spagnuolo would have plenty of risks, given his struggles over the years. Yet it would be exciting to see what this skilled practitioner of the fire-zone blitz would do with Ryan Kerrigan, Jonathan Allen and Josh Norman.
Matt Patricia
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Like Spanguolo, some of the numbers associated with Matt Patricia's defenses don't make for great reading. Yet in terms of astute game-planning and fluid thinking, the defensive coordinator of the New England Patriots may be the standout candidate on this list.
Patricia bears all the hallmarks of his mentor, Pats head coach Bill Belichick. He is able and, more importantly, prepared to adapt to each opponent. He will also eschew the spectacular for the cautious if it means giving his team the best chance to win.
Those qualities have helped him oversee a remarkable transformation this season. The Patriots started the year 2-2 while leaking points and yards through the air.
Patricia helped make the fixes which led to an eight-game run of stinginess, a sequence unequalled even in a dynasty as decorated as New England's, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com: "For the first time in Belichick's tenure (2000-present), the Patriots have held an opponent to fewer than 20 points in eight straight games (all victories)."
Reiss noted how these numbers were achieved despite Patricia's unit being hampered by injuries and suspensions to key players such as versatile linebacker Dont'a Hightower, cornerback Stephon Gilmore, D-tackle Malcom Brown and edge-rusher Trey Flowers.
The Ringer's Danny Kelly highlighted how miserly the Pats have been despite their issues: "The Patriots have won eight in a row, and, in that stretch, the defense has given up just 11.8 points per game—best of any team in the league. New England’s allowed just eight pass touchdowns (tied for sixth best) in those eight wins and held opposing passers to a 75.4 passer rating (seventh)."
Kelly also pointed out how the Pats' defensive revival has owed little to radical changes schematically. Instead, Patricia has succeeded by emphasising his players' strengths and hiding their weaknesses, the defining feature of any competent coach.
What he's done is commit to basic pass-defense schemes, with two deep safeties often sitting behind man coverage underneath, while shunning the desire to empty zones by sending players after quarterbacks on exotic blitz designs.
It's been bland stuff, but it's also succeeded in limiting big plays.
Another key for Patricia has been a commitment to focusing on an opponents' best weapons. Adjusting what he does defensively to take away standout talents is a habit he has taken from Belichick.
The approach demands shelving the macho pride often prominent in defensive football. It also demands a coach be creative in answering different challenges.
Washington can only dream of such coaching after watching a talented defense fail to answer specific challenges this season. Coordinator Greg Manusky had no plan for the Dallas Cowboys' dominant ground game or for prolific Philadelphia Eagles tight end Zach Ertz.
It doesn't help when Gruden hasn't made specific, situational coaching a requirement for every member of his staff. By contrast, Patricia comes from a culture where focused planning is the norm.
His defense is sixth in scoring after a loss to the Dolphins and Sunday's dramatic win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, as the 43-year-old continues to add to his already burgeoning reputation.
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Marvin Lewis
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Marvin Lewis' rumoured decision to call time on his 15-year stint in charge of the Cincinnati Bengals may put a quality head coach on the market this offseason. He's also a name the Redskins are familiar with.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport (h/t Kevin Patra of NFL.com) said Lewis and the Bengals will part ways at the end of the current campaign.
However, Patra also quoted Lewis denying the reports following Cincy's 34-7 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday: "It's just speculation people keep throwing out there and we're all wasting time talking about that. I have not made any decision about anything, as I've told you how many times."
If Lewis does walk away, he will bring to an end one of the few examples of steady stability in football's modern era of the salary cap and free agency.
When he took over in 2003, Lewis quickly reshaped the Bengals from a league laughingstock into regular playoff contenders. The Bengals have made the postseason seven times on his watch, although his critics will point to a failure to win a single playoff game in that time.
Admittedly, Lewis' struggles in the postseason are a concern. Even so, it's important to remember what the Bengals were before he took over.
Patra provided the context: "15 years before Lewis: .350 winning percentage, 2 winning seasons, 2 division titles, 2 playoff appearances.
15 years with Lewis: .525 winning percentage, 7 winning seasons, 4 division titles, 7 playoff appearances."
More than his record, Lewis brought a quiet professionalism to the franchise previously known as the "Bungles" to many fans. Off-field controversy, poor drafting and calamity at every level had defined the Bengals before Lewis.
All of those unwanted labels can be applied to the Redskins while Lewis has been keeping things quiet in Cincinnati. Bad drafting, contract disputes and upheaval in the front office have ensured noise of the wrong kind is regularly emanating from Redskins Park.
Lewis knows all about the pressure of coaching in Washington and working for Snyder from his days as the team's defensive coordinator for the 2002 season.
Defensive expertise has been a career-long trait for Lewis, who was coordinator for the Ravens' historically stingy Super Bowl-winning unit in 2000. He's built good defenses with the Bengals and helped coordinators such as Mike Zimmer and Gruden develop into head coaches.
Convincing him to coach again may not be easy, with Rapoport also reporting the 59-year-old may seek a role as a general manager. Still, it would be in Snyder's interest to convince Lewis he still belongs on the sideline.
Lewis may not have the resume everybody believes in, but the Redskins could use his quiet management for their next rebuild.
John Fox
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Likely to be the most contentious entry on this list, there is still a lot to recommend John Fox as the next Redskins head coach. Specifically, his defensive nous and experience as the top man would quickly stabilize a franchise looking worryingly adrift of the contenders in the NFC.
Fox hasn't been able to bring such stability to the Chicago Bears. In fact, he's won just 13 games since taking over in 2015. Yet he has done what he could to refresh what was an ageing roster.
He has tried to move the Bears on from the era of Matt Forte, Lance Briggs and Jay Cutler. He's had to bed in a rookie quarterback in Mitchell Trubisky and deal with major turnover in personnel every year.
Even so, Fox has succeeded in retooling a defense with several young playmakers including 23-year-old nose tackle Eddie Goldman, edge-rusher Leonard Floyd and cornerback Kyle Fuller, both 25.
He has also given the Bears a bell-cow running back in Jordan Howard.
Defensive excellence and dominant running games have been common throughout Fox's coaching career. He coordinated a tough and swarming unit with the Giants from 1997 to 2002, helping Big Blue reach the Super Bowl in 2000.
Fox also constructed mean defenses after he took over the Carolina Panthers in 2002. His unit, along with the smashmouth running of former Redskins lead back Stephen Davis, took the Panthers to the Super Bowl in 2003, just two seasons after they had been 1-15.
Fox was in the Super Bowl again as head coach of the Denver Broncos at the end of the 2013 season. This time, he oversaw a team defined by its explosive, Peyton Manning-led offense, proving the coach's schematic flexibility.
Versatility is an underrated Fox trait. He was a staunch practitioner of the 4-3 with the Giants and Panthers, but he let the Broncos play a more hybrid front to take advantage of Von Miller's talents.
The Bears have been a 3-4 defense on Fox's watch and rank 13th in points and ninth in yards.
A year before Manning arrived in Denver, Fox trusted Tim Tebow to use his read-option skills to take the Broncos to the playoffs one season removed from a 4-12 record.
Fox has proved he's a master rebuilder who will do what it takes to win quickly. It hasn't worked out in the Windy City, where he has been accused of being too conservative by Rick Morrissey of the Chicago Sun-Times.
Yet Fox has been working with a rookie passer, a struggling O-line and a lack of quality receivers. It's little wonder he has chosen to lean on his defense.
Those concerned by the 62-year-old's age, should consider the recent success of older coaches such as Zimmer and Bruce Arians of the Arizona Cardinals. Fox has the experience Washington needs to become a tougher, more adaptable and winning team.
Edgar Bennett
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Being offensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers is a thankless task. Head coach Mike McCarthy calls the plays, while the unit is often the plaything for quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Despite these issues, Edgar Bennett is still a viable candidate to replace Gruden. Green Bay's OC has come into his own this season, particularly with Rodgers missing seven games through injury.
The Packers went 3-4 during this span, with Bennett having to ease second-year passer Brett Hundley into the fold. Leaning more on the running game helped, with rookies Jamaal Williams and Aaron Jones each taking on bigger roles.
Their ascension made sense since Bennett enjoyed a fine career lugging the rock for the Packers, including winning the Super Bowl during the 1996 season. He was never the most spectacular runner, but he was a heady player who embraced the many facets of his position, including receiving and blocking, and he also understood how to read defenses.
He has shown similar versatility in his coaching career, working with the running backs and wide receivers before becoming McCarthy's OC.
Hiring Bennett would be a gamble, but few former pros are as well-equipped to handle a team than the intelligent 48-year-old.
Pat Shurmur
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Hiring yet another offensive coordinator may not seem like the best move for the Redskins following the eras of Jim Zorn, Mike Shanahan and Gruden.
However, it's hard to think of an OC who has done a better job than the Minnesota Vikings' Pat Shurmur this season. He has made an offense missing its starting quarterback and lead running back even better.
Shurmur has managed to coax prolific production from Case Keenum, a 29-year-old career backup quarterback. He has made sure Dalvin Cook, the ninth-overall pick in this year's draft, hasn't been missed in the backfield.
With Keenum throwing the passes and Latavius Murray getting the carries, the Vikings rank in the top 10 in every meaningful offensive category, including 10th in points and eighth in yards.
Shurmur has adapted his schemes to the changes enforced by injuries. He's succeeded by tailoring play designs to help his key weapons succeed.
Last month, an Associated Press report (h/t USA Today) detailed Shurmur's varied approach:
"The creativity has been obvious with Shurmur, but the variety has been his greatest asset, from moving wide receivers to different spots in the formation to switching up pass protection schemes to calling pass plays for short, medium and long ranges. He has also directed the Vikings to speed up and slow down their tempo of snaps to help keep the defense off balance."
Getting the maximum from the players at your disposal is the main responsibility of any coach. It's not something Gruden has managed consistently over four years.
Shurmur, though, has repaired his stock after struggling as head coach of the Cleveland Browns, when he won just nine games in two years from 2011-13.
His work refining and developing quarterbacks, including serving as Bradford's position coach in St. Louis, would be vital in helping the Redskins either move on from Cousins or make him better, should No. 8 sign a new contract.
Handing the reins to another head coach is a must for the Redskins this offseason. Shurmur is the most intriguing coordinator who could take the job, but an established name such as Fox or Lewis would bring stability sooner.
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