Commanders coach Ron Rivera fired defensive line coach Sam Mills III with a little over a month to go until the start of the season, he announced during his press conference Tuesday.
Rivera told reporters that the decision was based on a difference in philosophy and that he believed a change needed to be made after what he’s seen in training camp thus far.
The Commanders defensive line features four first-round picks, highlighted by 2020 No. 2 pick Chase Young, but somewhat underwhelmed as a unit last season after coming into the year as one of the most vaunted position groups in the league. Though that was the case, Rivera said that the firing was based on what he’d seen in this summer.
Mills, the son of recently enshrined Hall of Famer Sam Mills, has a long history with Rivera, dating back to 2011 when Rivera first took over as head coach of the Panthers. Mills served on Rivera’s staff as an assistant through the 2019 season before following the head coach to Washington in 2020.
“Very difficult. I’ve known Sam a long time, and [he’s] a very good football coach,” Rivera said of their relationship Tuesday. “And I really appreciate everything that he’s done. He helped us win the division the first year, and things got tough last year. There were some things I felt I wanted to change.”
Rivera revealed that assistant defensive line coach Jeff Zgonina will fill the role effective immediately.
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