The Washington Commanders fired defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio on Friday, one day after Washington’s 45-10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Head coach Ron Rivera also fired defensive backs coach Brent Vieselmeyer.
Rivera will assume Del Rio’s role as Washington’s defensive play-caller, while assistant defensive backs coach Cristian Garcia replaces Vieselmeyer for the remainder of the season.
Often, when a team fires a coach, whether a head coach or coordinator, during the season, there’s only so much you can change. After all, you’ve spent the entire year learning one scheme.
The Commanders currently rank dead last in scoring defense and aren’t far behind in total defense. Nothing they did this late in the season would significantly impact the remainder of this season.
Rivera met with the media Friday afternoon and discussed the coaching changes.
“I made a decision this morning,” Rivera began. “I relieved Jack Del Rio and Brent Vieselmeyer of their duties. We’re going to be moving forward, going to do things a little differently. It was very tough, difficult decisions because those are two really good men, good football coaches, guys that have had a lot of success in this league. And just unfortunate the situation, circumstances, but did feel that change was something that we needed to do going forward. Really to see if we can shake some things up and get some things started.”
What stood out here? Rivera saying, “They were doing to do things a little differently.”
What is something Rivera could do with five games remaining? The Commanders have struggled at every level of the defense — before and after the trades of Chase Young and Montez Sweat — but the secondary has been particularly bad.
Rivera can simplify some of the coverage concepts, as the Commanders have had opposing wide receivers running free and unchecked through the secondary for easy big plays all throughout this season.
Washington has several young players in the secondary on rookie contracts. The Commanders need these players for the future, but many have regressed this season under Del Rio and Vieselmeyer’s leadership.
Why did Rivera decide now was the right time?
“Well, more so anything else is, it’s one of those things that as you watch things happen and unfold last night, it was kind of that snowball; it just kind of started again,” Rivera said.
“It just kept going, and I was concerned and spent a lot of time last night and early this morning trying to go through this in my mind and just trying to figure out what else can be done, and it just seemed that shaking some things up made sense.”
It’s probably too little too late for this season and for Rivera, but it was absolutely the correct decision for multiple reasons.
