Report: Kevin O’Connell ‘still working things out’ with Ron Rivera

There had been rumblings that the Washington Redskins and Ron Rivera would look to keep Kevin O’Connell on as offensive coordinator. However, it’s not guaranteed.

The Washington Redskins hired Ron Rivera officially on Wednesday and he held his introductory press conference on Wednesday afternoon. Rivera confirmed that the team was still in the interview process regarding offensive assistants, and Kevin O’Connell specifically, but wouldn’t say anything certain on the young coach’s status.

O’Connell has been with the Redskins since 2017. He quickly moved up the food chain serving as the quarterbacks coach in 2017, the passing game coordinator in 2018, and the offensive coordinator in 2019. He has built a solid rapport with Dwayne Haskins, and that has led many to believe that he should be kept on as coordinator.

While there were rumblings that O’Connell would likely be the choice for the Redskins, the latest reports aren’t as optimistic. According to Mark Maske of The Washington Post, O’Connell is “still working things out” with Rivera and may not remain.

This could just be part of the interview process and the two might be trying to get on the same page. But if they can’t and O’Connell leaves, then the Redskins would have a need at the coordinator position. And the squad would certainly have to fill that.

Rivera’s coordinators over the years have included Norv and Scott Turner, Mike Shula, and Rob Chudzinski. It’s unclear if the Turners would follow Rivera to Washington in the event that O’Connell decides to leave. Norv Turner was the head coach of the team from 1994-2000.

It’s important to remember that the Redskins do like O’Connell and they are probably hoping that he and Rivera can get on the same page. And it’s early in the hiring process. Rivera and O’Connell could just be getting to know each other and perhaps after a couple of meetings, they could end up being a good fit together.

At this point, O’Connell’s status with the Redskins is unknown. But soon, it should be cleared up. Keeping him around still appears to be on the table as of this writing, but it’s not guaranteed.