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Redskins: 30 candidates who could potentially replace Jay Gruden as head coach

By Jacob Camenker

PITTSBURGH, PA - OCTOBER 06: head coach Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers calls a timeout in the fourth quarter during the game against the Baltimore Ravens at Heinz Field on October 6, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - OCTOBER 06: head coach Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers calls a timeout in the fourth quarter during the game against the Baltimore Ravens at Heinz Field on October 6, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /
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LINCOLN, NE – SEPTEMBER 28: Head coach Ryan Day of the Ohio State Buckeyes waits with his team to take the field before the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium on September 28, 2019 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)
LINCOLN, NE – SEPTEMBER 28: Head coach Ryan Day of the Ohio State Buckeyes waits with his team to take the field before the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium on September 28, 2019 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images) /

812. . Head Coach. Buckeyes . Ryan Day. 15. player

Previously: 13

This is a name that might get thrown around. And the reasoning behind it is obvious. Day fits the mold of the young offensive-minded head coaches that have been getting a chance in the NFL. Plus, he has ties to some of the key players on the Redskins roster.

Notably, Day coached Dwayne Haskins and Terry McLaurin at Ohio State in 2018 before they declared for the 2019 NFL Draft. Day helped lead Haskins to one of the best seasons in Big 10 history while McLaurin proved to be a solid weapon for Haskins. Day was the offensive coordinator save for three games as the interim head coach that season, but he still got the most out of the team’s offensive playmakers.

In the wake of Urban Meyer’s retirement, Day was tapped to take over for him and serve as the head coach. So far, he is an undefeated 8-0 and has helped transfer quarterback Justin Fields to look really good. Day’s offense is impressive, so that should get him consideration, especially since he spent two years in the NFL as a quarterbacks coach for Chip Kelly with the Eagles and 49ers.

Washington Commanders
Washington Commanders /

Washington Commanders

Of course, there would be some major questions with hiring Day to be the head coach despite his good-looking offensive resume. He will only have, at most, one year of head coaching experience at Ohio State if he was to be hired by any NFL team. And his experience at the NFL level was only that of a position coach. So, that could cause teams to sour on him a bit.

Additionally, there will be questions about whether or not Day happened to inherit a good program from Meyer or if he really put his stamp on this Ohio State team. If teams are wary of that, Day likely won’t be tapped for an NFL job and will choose to spend a couple more years at Ohio State. And frankly, he could choose to do that anyway to further develop his resume as a head coach.

Day could get consideration and it’s well within the realm of possibility that he could be a good NFL head coach or offensive coordinator someday. But with the concerns about his lack of top-level experience, he won’t crack the top-10 in this potential Redskins coaching search.

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