The Washington Commanders fired defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio and defensive backs coach Brent Vieselmeyer on Friday, following Thursday’s 45-10 road loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
The defeat dropped Washington to 4-8 after it opened the season with back-to-back victories. Numerous factors contributed to this current underwhelming campaign. Still, the defense under Del Rio already ranked last in the league in points allowed per game and near the bottom in multiple categories before the Thanksgiving debacle, after producing as a top-10 unit last season.
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“We’re going to be moving forward and do things a little differently,” Rivera said during a video conference call with reporters on Friday afternoon. “It was very tough, difficult decisions because those are two really good men, good football coaches, guys who’ve had a lot of success in this league. It’s just unfortunate, the situation (and) circumstances, but (I) did feel that change was something we needed to do going forward and really to see if we can shake some things up and get some things started.”
Rivera will handle play-calling duties, a role he held most recently with the Carolina Panthers in 2019. Senior defensive assistant/safety coach Richard Rogers will assist Rivera in game planning while retaining his prior duties.
Significant changes were already expected within the organization — now owned by a group headed by managing partner Josh Harris — this offseason following an inability to establish consistency over four seasons under Rivera. Harris previously stated a desire to evaluate the staff over the entire season. A string of unsettling losses, including a two-game sweep by the three-win Giants, apparently escalated the timeline for Del Rio.
“I feel exactly how our fans feel today: disappointed and frustrated. It’s how our players and staff feel as well,” Harris said in a statement. “As Coach Rivera and I discussed, all our energy for the remainder of the season will be focused on playing better, more consistent football and developing our players while intently evaluating the areas in which we need to improve this offseason.”
Statement from Josh Harris
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) November 24, 2023
Washington’s inability to stop explosive plays in the passing game — they had allowed a league-high 43 receptions of 20-plus yards entering Week 12, then allowed six more in Dallas — contributed heavily to this season’s struggles.
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“That’s been the big problem,” Del Rio said earlier this month. “We’re playing solid in a lot of areas, but the explosive plays allowed…”
Rivera said these decisions were “something that I’ve probably been thinking about for a little bit,” with the “snowball” effect in Thursday’s loss pushing him to make a change. After spending time considering the scenario following the game, Rivera called Harris early Friday morning to inform him of the decision. Harris signed off on the plan.
Del Rio, a longtime coordinator and two-time head coach with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Oakland Raiders, joined the staff immediately after Rivera’s hiring in January 2020. Washington is 26-35-1 in that stretch, having yet to finish a season with a winning record. Del Rio became the second coordinator fired in Rivera’s four years. Eric Bieniemy replaced Scott Turner as offensive coordinator following last season’s 8-8-1 mark.
The rare member of Rivera’s initial hires in Washington who did not have direct coaching ties to the former Panthers’ coach, Del Rio and Rivera have a history. Both were prominent California prep standouts, 1980s college All-Americans in the Pac-10 conference and NFL linebackers before becoming coaches.
The core of their defense centered on three inherited linemen selected in consecutive first rounds. Grabbing Chase Young with the second selection in 2020 made it four in a row. Washington also spent first-round capital in 2021 on linebacker Jamin Davis, the same offseason they inked cornerback William Jackson to their most lucrative free-agent contract under Rivera.
Washington re-invested in the secondary this year by snagging defensive backs Emmanuel Forbes and Quan Martin in the first and second rounds. Two defensive tackles, Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne, received lucrative extensions that made them among the highest-paid at their position in the league.
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Despite some high marks, the defense’s production rarely matched the investment. Jackson’s inability to fit within Del Rio’s zone-heavy system ended his tenure midway through his second season. Davis made only incremental progress, and Forbes was benched for a stretch earlier this season. Most notably, the team traded Young and fellow defensive end Montez Sweat at the trade deadline this fall.
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Del Rio and Rivera’s arrival sparked a defensive resurgence in that first season, which ended with a surprise NFC East division title despite a 7-9 record. Expectations soared, but the defense declined dramatically in 2021. The 2022 group found its footing, carrying the Commanders to a 7-5-1 record before a late-season collapse despite Young missing most of the season following knee surgery. That version rarely showed in 2023.
Del Rio made national headlines in June 2022 following remarks about the Jan. 6 riots, which happened just miles from the team’s practice facility in Northern Virginia. Del Rio frequently shared his political views on social media, including in the months after the Jan. 6 insurrection on Capitol Hill.
When asked about those publicly stated views, he responded, in part, by calling the riots — which led to several deaths and injuries — a “dust-up.” Despite calls for his ouster, Del Rio kept his job but was fined $100,000 by the organization.
Vieselmeyer received a promotion from assistant DBs coach this offseason after Chris Harris joined the Chicago Bears. His prior resume included three years on Oakland’s defensive staff (2015-17) under Del Rio and several high school stops. After a season as head coach for Santa Margarita (Calif.) High in 2019, Viesielmeyer became Washington’s assistant DBs and nickel coach from 2020 to 2022.
Whether a direct cause or effect, the secondary went from a promising unit in 2022 under Chris Harris to a faltering one this season despite adding Forbes and Martin.
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(Photo: Scott Taetsch / Getty)
