Washington Redskins coach Jay Gruden said after the season there would be changes and hat’s certainly been the case in 2015. Here are the moves Washington has made so far:
Hired general manager Scot McCloughan. He replaces Bruce Allen, who retains the title of president so it’s not as if he’s lost a lot of power. Allen lost oversight on personnel. McCloughan has a strong record when it comes to the draft, but how quickly can he make an impact? He’ll need to build his own staff to fully make it work, but this is an upgrade.
Hired defensive coordinator Joe Barry. He takes over for Jim Haslett and it would be optimistic to say at this point Barry is an upgrade. He’s considered a strong position coach, but he’s spent two years as a coordinator with bad results in Detroit. Talent was a big issue, but how much? Barry has the necessary energy and is considered a grinder, good attributes for the rebuild that awaits. But how is he during games? We won’t learn that until September.
Parted ways with Jim Haslett. It was mutual, but my strong sense is if Haslett wanted to return he would have. Haslett spent five seasons in Washington, but his best finish in total yards was 13th and in points was 21st.
Fired Brian Baker. The outside linebackers coach was a pass rush specialist in his one season with Washington. But with a new guy comes new staff members so Baker is out. One name to watch? Reggie Herring, who spent last season -- his seventh in the NFL -- with Chicago.
Fired Jacob Burney. The defensive line coach also was told he wouldn’t be retained. He’d spent five years in Washington and while his linemen weren’t strong pass-rushers, the Redskins were solid against the run.
Still deciding. Secondary coach Raheem Morris and inside linebackers coach Kirk Olivadotti. Morris hired Barry as a linebackers coach in Tampa Bay after his failed stint in Detroit and the two worked together before Barry left for the Lions in 2007. So it would be mildly surprising if Morris didn’t return -- I also wonder if it would be tough for him to return given that he was passed over for the coordinator’s job. So this might be as much about what he wants and not the team. There were some assistants who felt that Olivadotti might be the only returnee on defense, but that was just their talk and not yet reality.
Quarterbacks coach. Haven’t heard anything final yet here, but based on conversations at the end of the season I’d be surprised if they didn’t hire someone who was devoted only to the quarterbacks.