Ron Rivera is expected to officially be announced as the new head coach of the Washington Redskins this week, and he is looking to bring at least one other big name with him.
Rivera is expected to pursue Jack Del Rio as his defensive coordinator in Washington, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.
Soon-to-be Redskins’ HC Ron Rivera is expected to target former Jaguars’ and Raiders’ HC Jack Del Rio as his new defensive coordinator in Washington, per sources. He is the leading candidate.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 31, 2019
Del Rio had mixed results as a head coach with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Oakland Raiders, but he is still a respected defensive coach. As Schefter notes, he has helped lead major turnarounds on that side of the ball for multiple teams.
The Ron Rivera-Jack Del Rio team in Washington will be a strong one. In 2002, Del Rio took over the league’s worst defense in Carolina and turned it into the NFL’s second-ranked unit; in 2012 he took Broncos from 20th-ranked defense to second.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 31, 2019
The Redskins gave up 27.2 points per game and allowed 385.1 yards of total offense per game this season, which placed them 27th in the NFL in both categories. Rivera also comes from a defensive background, so the combination of him and Del Rio would have the potential to be a big boost for Washington. Both played linebacker in the NFL as well.
Del Rio last coached with the 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.
