There have been some tremendous coaches to come out of turmoil when a team heads into a tail spin and it is possible that happens with the Washington Commanders this season. Head Coach Ron Rivera is clearly flying by the seat of his pants as he fired Defensive Coordinator Jack Del Rio and realized how desperate he is for someone to step in and assume the role of defensive coordinator. Bengals Head Coach Zac Taylor rose from the firing of Head Coach Joe Philbin on the 2015 Miami Dolphins along with Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo and it is possible that something may happen here as well.
Washington Commanders name Interim Defensive Coordinator
On Sunday, Ron Rivera announced the name of his interim defensive coordinator following the sudden firing of experienced defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio. The name of that 29-year-old coach is Christian Garcia, the former defensive backs coach who has been on the last three seasons on Rivera’s staff.
The news was broken by ESPN insider Adam Schefter on Sunday morning:
In their first game since firing defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, Commanders’ HC Ron Rivera is having interim DB coach Cristian Garcia – who at 29 is one of the youngest position coaches in the NFL – handle a larger role in game planning and on gameday. A big opportunity at a…
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 3, 2023
While this is a lot of responsibility for a young man who will be junior to nine of the players on the Commanders roster, he has a solid core of talent to help him make this an effective stint. Against a superpowered Miami Dolphins offense this week that has struggled to live up to the hype in recent weeks, Garcia has a huge opportunity to make a name for himself. His job will be to shut down the elite running game of the Dolphins now that running back De’von Achane has rejoined his teammate Raheem Mostert in the Miami Dolphins backfield.
Likely Gameplan of the Washington Commanders
The biggest strength of the Commanders defense at this point are the league-best tandem of defensive tackles that includes Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen. Aside from those two, this is a very inexperienced group on defense following the trades of defensive ends Montez Sweat to the Chicago Bears and Chase Young to the San Francisco 49ers.
With the limited experience on this defensive outside of the trenches, Garcia will most likely attempt to play a simple zone defense to ensure that his players are in position following the inconsistent leadership on the Washington defense. It will also be important for Garcia to call blitzes in obvious running situations to try to limit the aggressive running game of Miami while ensuring his safeties stay high. The biggest threat in the Miami Dolphins passing game will be wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who has been having an exceptional season.
Fantasy Implications
While it may be a struggle for this Washington Commanders front, Dolphins Mike McDaniel will most likely be aggressive in trying to take advantage of the young defensive coaches inexperience. The Dolphins will most likely play aggressively and try to get the running game going while also throwing deep shots to their star receiver Tyreek Hill. The Dolphins will most likely jump out to a lead early which will boost the value of Commanders offensive players in the passing game such as quarterback Sam Howell and wide receiver Terry McLaurin.