One Commanders player to benefit most from each head coaching candidate

Which Washington Commanders players could benefit most from each of the seven shortlisted candidates to become head coach?

Who remembers DeMarco Murray? Just 10 short years ago, the Dallas Cowboys running back accounted for more than 2,200 total yards from scrimmage. Since that 2014 campaign, only Christian McCaffrey has surpassed this total.

Just to put that number into perspective, the top two yards-from-scrimmage producers for the Washington Commanders in 2023 - Brian Robinson Jr. and Terry McLaurin - did not combine for as many yards as Murray had in 2014. He won NFL Offensive Player of the Year. He was unstoppable. Until he met Chip Kelly.

Kelly, who was in the process of gutting the Philadelphia Eagles from the inside, signed Murray to a massive contract and then seemed to have no idea what to do with him. Things did not end well for either the coach or the player.

Sometimes, a player and a coach are a perfect fit - a Bill Belichick/Tom Brady kind of deal. Other times, they bring out the worst in each other, like Albert Haynesworth and Greg Blache. Or Haynesworth and Jim Haslett. Or Haynesworth and Mike Shanahan.

I don’t have time to run through all the coaches Haynesworth didn’t get along with. I mean, the new season is just eight months away.

Today, I’m looking at the other side. The good side. The Commanders have a lot of young players on their roster who are under contract next year. What we’re going to do is look at the seven confirmed candidates for the head coaching job and match each up with someone on the playing staff who might thrive under his leadership.

Since we began this chat with Murray’s move out of Dallas, let’s start with another man who may be leaving Big D…