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Redskins: 5 offensive-minded coaches to target if they part with Jay Gruden

By Jacob Camenker

LANDOVER, MD - OCTOBER 21: Head coach Jay Gruden of the Washington Redskins looks on during the second half against the Dallas Cowboys at FedExField on October 21, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - OCTOBER 21: Head coach Jay Gruden of the Washington Redskins looks on during the second half against the Dallas Cowboys at FedExField on October 21, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images) /
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BLOOMINGTON, MN – JANUARY 31: Carson Wentz #11 and quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo of the Philadelphia Eagles looks on as teammate Nick Foles #9 passes the ball during Super Bowl LII practice on January 31, 2018 at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Philadelphia Eagles will face the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII on February 4th. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
BLOOMINGTON, MN – JANUARY 31: Carson Wentz #11 and quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo of the Philadelphia Eagles looks on as teammate Nick Foles #9 passes the ball during Super Bowl LII practice on January 31, 2018 at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Philadelphia Eagles will face the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII on February 4th. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

Offensive Coordinator. Vikings. John DeFilippo. 5. player. 60.

DeFilippo is a guy that will be mentioned and with good reason. He has done great work as a quarterbacks coach in the NFL over the course of his career. Recently, he was with the Eagles and helped Carson Wentz develop into one of the league’s best quarterbacks. And without DeFilippo in 2018, Wentz hasn’t look as good (though his balky knee may have something to do with that). Still, DeFilippo’s work with Wentz was definitely a positive for his resume.

That said, DeFilippo’s 2018 season has been up-and-down. He took the job as the Vikings offensive coordinator to work with former Redskin Kirk Cousins. So far this year, the Vikings are sitting around .500, and so is their offense.

Despite having one of the better receiver tandems in the league, DeFilippo has only led the Vikings to the 16th ranked offense in terms of yardage and 18th in scoring. That’s not awful, but it’s not great either. At times, his play calling has been questioned, and that was particularly apparent after he called a quick pass on fourth and 11 against the Patriots that had no chance of getting the first down. So, those factors will weigh on his consideration as a coach.

However, as Redskins fans know, Cousins can sometimes be to blame for offensive inconsistencies. So, that has to be taken into account as part of DeFilippo’s struggles as well.

DeFilippo is the type of guy that could definitely do some solid work with a quarterback and make them into a playoff contender. That said, that’s part of the reason he’s not a great fit in Washington. The team doesn’t have a long-term QB right now, so they would probably have to draft one under DeFilippo to spark that process. However, the Alex Smith contract may force them to roll with him for another year or two, so that might scare off DeFilippo.

Also, it’s worth noting that DeFilippo may be the top candidate for the Packers coaching opening. There are a lot of factors to dissuade the Redskins from DeFilippo, so they may be better served to target someone else if they part with Gruden. Still, DeFilippo should be on their short-list of offensive minds to consider.

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