The Washington Commanders fired offensive coordinator Scott Turner last week after three seasons with the team. Turner did some good things during his time in Washington, but the offense fading down the stretch and costing the Commanders a playoff spot doomed Turner.
After Turner was fired, we here at Commanders Wire compiled a list of 11 possible candidates to be Washington’s next offensive coordinator. On Friday, it was revealed that the Commanders were interested in former Colts and Lions head coach Jim Caldwell as offensive coordinator. However, Caldwell told Washington he was only interested in interviewing for head-coaching positions.
Another name has emerged as a candidate for Washington’s vacant offensive coordinator position: Veteran coach Pat Shurmur is a candidate, according to Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post.
The Commanders are getting a list together for OC candidates. Jim Caldwell was on the list, but he declined because he’s pursuing a head-coaching opportunity, as others reported.
Pat Shurmur is also a candidate, per source. An important factor: a record of developing young QBs.
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) January 14, 2023
We included Shurmur on our list of 11 candidates.
Shurmur, 57, does have a history with head coach Ron Rivera. The pair worked alongside one another on Andy Reid’s staff in Philadelphia from 1999-2003. Also on that staff was current Commanders tight ends coach Juan Castillo.
That checks one box
Shurmur also has a history of working with and developing young quarterbacks. Donovan McNabb, Sam Bradford and Daniel Jones are some of the young quarterbacks who Shurmur has coached. You could make the argument that Bradford’s best success came under Shurmur, and McNabb was one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks during his time with Shurmur.
This matters because the Commanders have apparently told prospective candidates that Sam Howell is Washington’s plan at quarterback for 2023.
In addition to Shurmur’s time with Philadelphia, where he coached tight ends, quarterbacks and the offensive line during his 10 seasons under Reid, he is also a two-time head coach. Shurmur was head coach of the Cleveland Browns for two seasons [2011-12] and the New York Giants [2018-19]. Both franchises were bad before Shurmur took those jobs.
As an offensive coordinator, he has an excellent resume. In 2017, he was named the Associated Press NFL assistant coach of the year for his work as the Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator. He has also had stints as offensive coordinator with the Eagles, Rams and Broncos.
Shurmur didn’t coach in the NFL last season. The Broncos fired head coach Vic Fangio after the 2021 season, which left Shurmur without a job.
Shurmur would be a solid choice for Rivera. Whoever Rivera chooses, the next offensive coordinator should tailor an offense around Howell rather than forcing Howell to adapt to their scheme.
Shurmur would check a lot of boxes for Rivera and is respected around the NFL.