{"id":592164,"date":"2026-01-27T16:38:55","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T20:38:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/the-hogs.net\/blogs\/?p=592164"},"modified":"2026-05-01T16:55:39","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T20:55:39","slug":"commanders-hire-daronte-jones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/the-hogs.net\/blogs\/2026\/01\/27\/commanders-hire-daronte-jones\/","title":{"rendered":"Commanders Hire Daronte Jones As New Defensive Coordinator"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Washington Commanders hire Daronte Jones as their next defensive coordinator. A source told ESPN the team is finalizing the deal on Monday, and replace Joe Whitt Jr. Washington fired Whitt earlier this month after two seasons. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Commanders will start 2026 with two new coordinators. They already replaced Kliff Kingsbury with David Blough on offense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Washington finished the season 5-12. They went 12-5 the year before and reached the NFC Championship Game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Commanders hire Daronte Jones<\/strong>, Who Impressed Multiple Teams<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Jones interviewed with five teams this hiring cycle. One team source called his interview impressive. Coaches who worked with him said it was only a matter of time before he earned a defensive coordinator job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jones has coached in the NFL since 2016. He spent one year as LSU\u2019s defensive coordinator in 2021. He joined the Minnesota Vikings in 2022 as a defensive backs coach. The Vikings promoted him to pass game coordinator the next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jones Brings Strong Experience<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Washington coach Dan Quinn wanted an experienced coordinator. He interviewed several top candidates. Jones called plays at LSU. He worked under Brian Flores, Mike Zimmer, Vance Joseph, and Marvin Lewis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jones grew up in suburban Washington, D.C. He played college football at Morgan State. He coached in college for many years before moving to the NFL.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Commanders need a defensive overhaul. They ranked 27th in scoring defense and last in yards allowed last season. Quinn took over play-calling from Whitt in Week 11.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jones will be tasked with rebuilding the defense. Washington owns the No. 7 pick in the draft. They plan to add young talent in free agency and the draft this offseason.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Washington Commanders hire Daronte Jones as their next defensive coordinator. A source told ESPN the team is finalizing the deal on Monday, and replace Joe Whitt Jr. Washington fired Whitt earlier this month after two seasons. The Commanders will start 2026 with two new coordinators. They already replaced Kliff Kingsbury with David Blough on … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15656,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2309,1889],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-592164","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-breaking-news","category-washington-commanders"],"yoast_head":"\nCommanders Hire Daronte Jones as Next Defensive Coordinator<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Washington Commanders hire Daronte Jones from the Vikings as their new defensive coordinator and replace 2025's Joe Whitt Jr.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/the-hogs.net\/blogs\/2026\/01\/27\/commanders-hire-daronte-jones\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" 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