Jay Gruden Fired- My Thoughts & What This Means for Washington's Future
Today the Washington Redskins finally decided it was time to go in a different direction with their coaching staff and relieved head coach Jay Gruden of his coaching duties. Gruden, Washington’s coach since 2014, has amassed a 35-49-1 record during his time in DC while also dealing with his fair share of criticism throughout his tenure. During his time in Washington, Gruden had some interesting coaches that would go on to become head coaches in their own right including one of the best young coaches in the league, Sean McVay. Needless to say Washington looks to be starting over, but is this really all on Gruden? Let’s take a look.
Over the last two years, Washington’s offense finished in the bottom half of the league in total yards while finishing near the bottom in points scored as well. While these stats are not doing any favors for Gruden, the fact remains that they lost both their starting QB Alex Smith and promising rookie RB Derrius Guice to season ending injuries. During this time as well, the defense also finished in the bottom half of the league in total yards & points allowed. Certainly Gruden doesn’t coach the defense so he can’t be blamed for their struggles but he is the head coach and if the defense is struggling for more than one year, it is his job to evaluate the defensive coaches and determine if he needs to upgrade that side of the ball.
While Gruden’s teams have had their moments during his 5 year tenure, it seems very apparent that he never had a firm grip on the team and that this decision was bound to happen at some point. The big question surrounding this team now that Gruden is officially out is the future of first round pick Dwayne Haskins. The former Ohio State standout gave Washington hope after he fell to them with the 15th pick but has since raised more questions than answers after a shaky debut leading to the team starting Colt McCoy over the rookie after just one game. Is Haskins entire future going to be judged off one game? No. But his future does hinge on who Washington hires as their next head coach. Let’s look at a few coaches who Washington should consider this off-season:
Eric Bieniemy
The Kansas Chiefs are now the go-to team for future head coaches now with the success of Doug Pederson and Matt Nagy. Bieniemy has been with Andy Reid in Kansas City since 2013 so it’s easy to say Bieniemy has probably learned a ting or two from one of the league’s best offensive minds.
Pete Carmichael
Carmichael has with the Saints since 2006 and has been Sean Payton’s offensive coordinator since 2009. Not only has New Orleans proven to be one of the leagues most efficient offenses, but Carmichael has been fortunate to work with a future hall of fame QB in Drew Brees and should be able to teach some of the things he’s learned from working with one of the best QBs for the last decade.
Mike Tomlin
This is certainly a long shot but there has been some rumors this season that this might be Tomlin’s last season in Pittsburgh. I for one do not believe this and think Tomlin will remain with the Steelers but if it were to actually happen, Washington should bite at the chance to land one of the leagues best head coaches and an experienced coach who would bring stability to the team.
Urban Meyer
Now let’s get crazy! Urban Meyer is not finished with coaching and it seems like he could come back at any moment. Why not pair him with the QB he coached less than a year ago? During his one year starting under Meyer, Haskins threw for over 4,000 yards and 50 touchdowns. Now I’m not saying he would duplicate anything close to that in Washington but if there’s a coach out there that knows Haskins the best its Urban Meyer.
Whoever Washington chooses to hire as their next head coach it will be interesting to see if they go the direction of a young offensive mind like the Packers did this year with Matt LaFleur or if they go the veteran coach rout like Broncos did with Vic Fangio. Only time will tell but Washington wasted no time in moving on from Jay Gruden and now they have the rest of the season to find out what they have in their current coaches and how they impact the future of the team.