Redskins retainment of Jim Tomsula proof that talent matters to coaches
By Ian Cummings
At one point in the offseason, not long ago, it looked as though no one wanted to coach for the Redskins, not even their own staff members.
In that regard, yesterday’s developments were delightfully surprising, to say the least.
On January 29, the Washington Redskins announced two key staff updates. Kevin O’Connell was promoted to offensive coordinator after spending two years as a rising offensive assistant, and Jim Tomsula, the team’s renowned defensive line coach, was brought back on a new contract, stymying talks of his possible departure.
Earlier in the offseason, Tomsula was rumored to be one of the esteemed coaches that wanted out of Washington, after a dysfunctional collapse compounded on Alex Smith’s injury and made the 2018 season that much worse.
For some, the roller coaster ride had proven to be too much. Ben Kowitca, Wes Phillips, Kirk Olivadotti, and Torrian Gray all left for lateral hires. But Tomsula did not. He chose to stay in Washington. And one has to think that the talent he’s dealing with on the defensive line is the biggest reason for that decision.
Over the course of just two years, Jim Tomsula has molded three Redskins defensive linemen into high-level starters in the NFL: Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne, and Matt Ioannidis. Allen has been the model of consistency, while Payne showed the most upside last season, proving to be a stellar run defender and an able pass rusher. “Able” isn’t a good enough word to describe Matt Ioannidis’ pass rushing prowess, as the Temple product put up disruption numbers on par with some of the league’s very best in 2018.
Ioannidis’ transformation from fifth-round rookie to dominant pass rushing force is the most telling on-field proof of Tomsula’s influence, but Jonathan Allen voiced his delight on Twitter yesterday, replying to a report of Tomsula’s retainment by saying “Best news I got all year!!!”
That’s three exclamation points, folks. You can bet the Redskins defensive linemen love working with Tomsula. And Tomsula loves having this much talent to work with. For now, it’s more than enough to keep him around another year, in spite of front office issues, and if it leads to sustained success, then Tomsula could be here to stay even longer.