9 dark horse candidates for the Commanders next head coach in 2024

Commanders could hire Andy Heck

• Offensive Line Coach | Kansas City Chiefs

Andy Heck and Deion Sanders are the oldest names on my list - by a good decade. Both are 56 years old.

Unlike Sanders, Heck has been laboring in virtual anonymity for a long time under Andy Reid with the Kansas City Chiefs. He has continually put together first-rate offensive lines regardless of changing personnel and deserves endless credit for some exceptional work in recent years.

Does he want to try his hand at the top spot? Does he have the temperament for it?

Heck is universally loved by his players and fellow coaches. If he doesn’t have the look and feel of the young hotshots whom everyone seems to crave these days, I’d remind you that neither does his boss - and he's done pretty well for himself all things considered.

If the Washington Commanders decide that offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy isn’t the right man for the job - but still want to tap into that Kansas City lineage - Heck would be a very smart choice. It might also be enough to keep the current play-caller around, however unlikely that might seem if he is overlooked for a long-awaited promotion.

It would be a bit of a homecoming for Heck in this scenario, who finished his playing career in Washington back in 2000.