Redskins officially hire Tim Rattay as quarterbacks coach

Coaching changes in Washington have slowed down in recent days, but there are still positions to be filled.

The offseason started out on a very tumultuous note for the Washington Redskins. Bruce Allen was given a promotion from owner Dan Snyder, and after a midseason collapse of epic proportions, many position coaches found themselves walking out the door, either by their own preference or at the mercy of the team.

A select few, however, were re-assigned inside the current structure. Kevin O’Connell was promoted from passing game coordinator to offensive coordinator, and Matt Cavanaugh, the previous offensive coordinator, was named the team’s senior offensive assistant.

These moves left a void at quarterbacks coach, where O’Connell had continued to serve with his honorary passing game title. But that void has now been filled, after a lengthy search. Per J.P. Finlay of NBC Sports Mid-Atlantic, the Washington Redskins have hired Tim Rattay as their new quarterbacks coach.

Unsurprisingly, Rattay has some connections in Redskins Park. He was the starting quarterback for the 49ers for nine games in 2004, and he served as the backup for current Redskins quarterback Alex Smith in Smith’s rookie season. The next year, Rattay went to Tampa Bay, where Bruce Allen was a front office executive.

After retiring in 2010, Rattay started his coaching career with the Las Vegas Locomotives of the UFL. When the UFL ceased operations, Rattay was hired by his alma matter, Louisiana Tech, where he served as wide receivers coach, then moved to quarterbacks coach in 2015. Among Rattay’s successes is Jeff Driskel, current Bengals backup quarterback who had his best collegiate season under Rattay’s oversight.

After interviewing Bill Lazor and Ken Zampese, the Redskins went with Rattay, who is another Tampa Bay connection drawn to D.C. by Bruce Allen. Connections go a long way toward securing jobs in the NFL, and Rattay’s NFL coaching career will officially start based on just that. With the coming addition of a young quarterback almost a given, Rattay will be under heavy scrutiny right out of the gate.