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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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WASHINGTON, DC – CIRCA 2010: In this photo provided by the NFL, Matt LaFleur of the Washington Redskins poses for his 2010 NFL headshot circa 2010 in Washington, DC. (Photo by NFL via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – CIRCA 2010: In this photo provided by the NFL, Matt LaFleur of the Washington Redskins poses for his 2010 NFL headshot circa 2010 in Washington, DC. (Photo by NFL via Getty Images) /

Titans. Matt LaFleur. 4. player. 35. . Offensive Coordinator

Matt LaFleur is an interesting candidate because he has experience in Washington. He served as the team’s quarterbacks coach from 2010-2013 as a part of Mike Shanahan’s staff. After Shanahan was fired, LaFleur ended up at Notre Dame for a year before joining another Shanahan staff.

LaFleur has worked closely with Kyle Shanahan in recent years, serving as the quarterbacks coach during Atlanta’s run to the Super Bowl when Shanahan was the offensive coordinator. LaFleur helped Matt Ryan reach MVP status during his final season before defecting to the Rams to join another former Washington staffer, Sean McVay.

In one year with the Rams, LaFleur helped to run the league’s best scoring offense and did a lot to help Jared Goff turn things around. However, LaFleur only stayed one year in Los Angeles, as he had the opportunity to call plays in Tennessee as Mike Vrabel‘s offensive coordinator. So, he defected again and has coached there in 2018.

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Nothing about LaFleur’s offense in Tennessee has been particularly special. They ranked 28th in both scoring and yardage this year. That said, LaFleur hasn’t had much weaponry to work with, as Marcus Mariota has been hurt and the Titans lack skill position weapons. So, the fact that LaFleur has been able to orchestrate offensive outbursts in wins over last year’s Super Bowl contenders, the Patriots (34-10) and Eagles (26-23), is impressive.

The reason that LaFleur isn’t high on this list is that he wouldn’t have the talent needed to be a success right away in Washington. LaFleur could use another year of seasoning, or he might be better off going to a team that has an established quarterback situation. He works well with quarterbacks, but if he is forced to shuffle between Alex Smith and Colt McCoy in his rookie coaching season, that may not be a recipe for success.

LaFleur is still an option, as he has a ton of connections to Washington. It will be interesting to see if he gets a call in the event that Gruden is coaching elsewhere for 2019.

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