Ron Rivera hires Jack Del Rio as DC, could keep Kevin O’Connell as OC

Ron Rivera was officially announced as the new head coach of the Washington Redskins on Wednesday, and he is wasting no time filling out the key positions on his staff.

As was previously reported, Rivera is hiring Jack Del Rio as his defensive coordinator. The plan is for Del Rio to call the defensive plays, which is a responsibility Rivera held himself when he was the head coach of the Carolina Panthers. Rivera also may keep current Redskins offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media.

On the new staff for #Redskins coach Ron Rivera:
— He’ll interview OC Kevin O’Connell for that same job, source said & O’Connell has a chance to stick. His work with QB Dwayne Haskins impressed.
— Jack Del Rio will be the new DC and will call plays. Rivera did it in Carolina.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 1, 2020

As Rapoport mentioned, Redskins rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins played well over the final two games of the season. If Washington plans to stick with Haskins, it may make sense to keep O’Connell in his current role. O’Connell, who is just 34, was mentioned as a possible candidate for the team’s head coaching job at one point.

Del Rio last coached as head coach of the Oakland Raiders in 2017. He was linked to one prominent college head coaching job earlier this year, but returning to the NFL as a defensive coordinator sounds like the best fit for him.