Firing Jay Gruden a ‘better late than never’ move by the Redskins

Jay Gruden is no longer the head coach of the Washington Redskins, but his firing was the ultimate “better late than never” move by the front office.

After an 0-5 start to the 2019 NFL season, the Redskins have parted ways with head coach Jay Gruden. In his sixth year as the head coach of the ‘Skins, Gruden simply wasn’t getting the job done and he could no longer ride the one playoff appearance he helped the team earn during his tenure.

While firing Gruden was the right move for the front office, his departure from the team came far too late. His sixth season has already put lasting damage on the club and letting a lame-duck coach try to finish out his contract with the team certainly looks bad in hindsight.

At the end of the 2018 season, there were rumblings that the Redskins could look to replace Gruden as head coach. After a 6-2 start, the team finished 1-7 after losing Alex Smith and Colt McCoy to injuries. But the issue wasn’t the team’s lacking personnel. It was their mediocre and inconsistent effort that made Gruden a candidate for the chopping block.

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However, Dan Snyder and the Redskins front office elected to keep Gruden around for another season. They promoted Kevin O’Connell to offensive coordinator in hopes that he could help diversify the offense. The team also strongly considered parting with Greg Manusky, but that never materialized. So, the team more or less brought the gang back for one more run. And it didn’t pan out.

The Redskins first five games were losses, and none were pretty. They blew a 13-point lead against the Eagles in Week 1. They struggled to play 60 minutes against the Cowboys in Week 2. Against the Bears in Week 3, they were blown out at home in primetime and Case Keenum turned the ball over five times. They lost by 21 points to the New York Giants in Week 4. And finally, they were destroyed in the second half by the Patriots in Week 5 en route to another massive loss.

Throughout these games, the Redskins demonstrated poor fundamentals, limited effort, and a lack of creativity on both sides of the ball. Those issues were staples of the Gruden era. Gruden seemed to know his fate following the slow start, and it appeared that he was ready to move on from the team. And Gruden’s plight perfectly illustrated the reason that most NFL teams avoid having lame-duck coaches.

The Redskins could’ve fired Gruden after Week 4. Or Week 3. Or better yet, during the offseason. Instead, they stuck with him far too long and the team has paid the price. Hindsight is always 20/20, but it never made sense to keep Gruden around for an extra year. Keeping him essentially caused the team to remain in limbo where they could have retooled and spent the year building a team that could eventually find success with a strong defense and Dwayne Haskins moving forward.

Parting with Gruden certainly qualifies as a “better late than never” move. He had his chance to coach the team. It didn’t work well and he probably shouldn’t have lasted beyond his fifth year with the squad. And had the team brought in new leadership this season, perhaps this wouldn’t feel like a completely lost season.

With Gruden gone, the Redskins will now focus on finding a potential replacement. O’Connell will be given a big chance to prove himself moving forward and he will be the top — if not only — internal option to replace Gruden.