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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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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – AUGUST 24: Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski on the sidelines in the fourth quarter of the preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals at U.S. Bank Stadium on August 24, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – AUGUST 24: Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski on the sidelines in the fourth quarter of the preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals at U.S. Bank Stadium on August 24, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images) /

. Offensive Coordinator. Minnesota Vikings. Kevin Stefanski. 13. player. 60

Previously: 22

The Vikings hired John DeFilippo to be their offensive coordinator after Pat Shurmur left to serve as the head coach of the New York Giants. However, after he struggled to get the team’s offense going, the team parted ways with him and promoted Kevin Stefanski to the offensive coordinator role.

Stefanski, who had been with the Vikings in some capacity since 2004, had been serving as the team’s quarterbacks coach before seeing the promotion to offensive coordinator. He did some nice work with Case Keenum and while Kirk Cousins didn’t quite click as much in his offense, Stefanski has found a way to make the Vikings successful.

In 2019, his first full year as the Vikings’ offensive coordinator, Stefanski has turned the run game into a massive strength for the Vikings. He has been able to get the most out of Dalvin Cook and the team’s offensive line. Their strong performances have been part of the reason that the Vikings have started off the season well and appear to be true competitors in the NFC North.

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And in recent weeks, Kirk Cousins and the passing game have stepped up as well as Stefanski has figured out a way to run a truly balanced offense.

Stefanski doesn’t have a lot of experience as a coordinator. If he finishes the 2019 season as Minnesota’s OC, that will be his first full season as a chief play-caller. Despite this, he could draw interest as a head coaching candidate, as teams are looking for young, offensive-minded head coaches. And his success coordinating a run game could intrigue teams looking to build strong running games around young, unproven quarterbacks.

The Redskins would qualify as a team that could use that. Dwayne Haskins isn’t yet proven and he only had one season worth of starts at the collegiate level. It could behoove Washington to build a strong running game with Derrius Guice and Bryce Love (provided that they can get and stay healthy), so perhaps Stefanski could be hired to help out with that.

Stefanski would be a different type of candidate because his success has mostly come with the running game, but he does have experience as a quarterbacks coach and Keenum’s strong showing in Minnesota should earn him some kudos (though Pat Shurmur was a big part of that success). For that reason, his name should be on the list of potential candidates for the Redskins job, though his relative lack of experience puts him behind some other top offensive candidates on this list.

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