Every coaching candidate rumored to be joining the Redskins keeps going elsewhere. The latest one is Joe Woods.
The beginning of the offseason hasn’t been too kind to the Redskins. Of course, this is entirely their fault, but the past 16 or so days have been a complete nightmare. It seems that the team doesn’t have any direction and they keep trying to play musical chairs with their coaching staff. However, they haven’t made any change yet despite all of the rumors of them pursuing outside candidates.
First, there were rumors that the team was after Todd Bowles. Those quickly evaporated. Then, it appeared that the team had interest in Steve Wilks and Gregg Williams. It seemed that the team might land Williams despite having Greg Manusky entrenched as the defensive coordinator, but instead, Williams opted to go to the Jets — an organization that he had already been rumored to be hired by before Washington joined the fray.
And now, it seems that the team has struck out on another candidate. Joe Woods, the former Broncos defensive coordinator, is going to the 49ers, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
The #49ers are hiring Joe Woods, longtime DBs coach and most recently the #Broncos’ defensive coordinator, source says. He’ll be the passing game coordinator for DC Robert Saleh and HC Kyle Shanahan.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) January 15, 2019
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While missing Woods isn’t too big of a deal, as the team already has a solid defensive backs coach in Torrian Gray, it’s still indicative of the fact that the team’s search for extra talent on their coaching staff is directionless.
Right now, the Redskins still have their staff from last year intact. Currently, the only known departure is Ben Kotwica, the special teams coordinator. That said, there have been a number of rumors flying around. First, some thought that Gray had been let go. Next, it was reported that Bill Callahan and Jim Tomsula wanted out. However, nothing official has been announced. So, there weren’t any changes there.
However, the strangest part of this whole saga is that the Redskins have interviewed multiple defensive coordinators despite having Manusky on their roster. As opposed to parting with him and really diving head-first into a staff rebuild, the squad has opted to create this awkward situation where nobody really knows what is happening. There soon will be a resolution, but being in Manusky’s situation is certainly uncomfortable.
Again, losing out on Woods isn’t a huge deal. He does have coordinator experience and has been a long-time defensive backs coach in the NFL, but the team has Torrian Gray. They didn’t need him unless they were thinking of him as a coordinator. That said, him landing a job in San Francisco as a pass game coordinator would indicate that was a higher role than what he would get in Washington, so that would make sense for him to take the job.
In short, this is just another confusing chapter in what has been a long offseason thus far for the Redskins faithful. Here’s hoping that the team figures out a direction soon and affirms what the coaching staff will be next season.