Report: Steve Wilks not joining Ron Rivera’s staff with Redskins

Steve Wilks was originally expected to join Ron Rivera’s coaching staff with the Redskins. Now, it appears that he may not be after all.

There is a lot of excitement in Washington to close the decade. The Redskins made the decision to fire Bruce Allen on Monday morning, ending his 10-year run with the team.

Shortly thereafter, reports surfaced that Ron Rivera would be joining the team as their next head coach. Rivera agreed to a five-year deal with the team on Tuesday. And now, he’s starting to build his staff.

Original indications are that Rivera will likely keep offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell in place moving forward. And his target on defense was rumored to be Steve Wilks, who served as Rivera’s defensive coordinator with the Carolina Panthers in 2017.

However, it appears that the team may have to find a new option at defensive coordinator. According to ESPN’s John Keim, Wilks will not be joining the Redskins staff and was told that Wilks was “not coming”.

This is somewhat surprising given that Wilks had worked under Rivera for nine years and had quite a bit of success during that time period. But perhaps Wilks wants to pursue other opportunities that are available to him. After all, he was a top head coaching candidate not long ago. So, maybe he’ll be looking to prove himself elsewhere and not under the tutelage of Rivera.

If Wilks is, in fact, not coming, Rivera will have to find another option for the defensive coordinator spot. He could target one of his former assistants like Al Holcomb, who is rumored to be joining Rivera’s staff, or Eric Washington, who served as his defensive coordinator last season. But with the team reportedly considering a shift to a 4-3 alignment, perhaps Rivera could look outside of the organization for a solution.

Of course, it’s also worth noting that things can change rapidly in the NFL. Just 24 hours ago, it seemed that Wilks joining the Redskins was a foregone conclusion. While he may not be coming now, perhaps Rivera can convince him to come and serve as the defensive coordinator.

The Redskins options at defensive coordinator remain fluid. For now, the conflicting reports about Wilks’ status with the ‘Skins are the biggest thing to watch as the Rivera era begins.