Bryan Manning, Commanders WireTue, January 13, 2026 at 1:40 AM UTC·2 min readThe Washington Commanders have scheduled their fourth known interview for a new defensive coordinator. Per In Rapoport of the NFL Network, the Commanders will meet with former Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon on Thursday.
Gannon will be busy this week, as he also has a scheduled interview with the Dallas Cowboys for their defensive coordinator vacancy and will meet with the Tennessee Titans for their head coaching vacancy. It's doubtful the Titans would turn to Gannon as their head coach after he went 15-36 in three seasons as Arizona's coach.
Before Gannon went to Arizona, he was considered one of the NFL's top young defensive minds, helping lead the Philadelphia Eagles to Super Bowl LVII, where they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs. In 2022, the Gannon-led defense finished in the top two in total defense, pass defense, and sacks. Overall, Gannon spent two seasons with the Eagles before accepting the head coaching position in Arizona.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementGannon, 43, is a Cleveland, Ohio, native who played safety at Louisville. He began his coaching career at Louisville for three seasons before landing in the NFL as a defensive quality control assistant with the Atlanta Falcons.
Here are all of Gannon's NFL coaching stops:
2007: Atlanta Falcons (defensive quality control coach)
2009-11: Gannon worked as a scout with the St. Louis Rams before going back to coaching
2012-13: Tennessee Titans (defensive quality control coach)
2014-17: Minnesota Vikings (assistant defensive backs coach)
2018-20: Indianapolis Colts (defensive backs coach)
2021-22: Philadelphia Eagles (defensive coordinator)
2023-25: Arizona Cardinals (head coach)
Gannon doesn't have any coaching ties with head coach Dan Quinn, but they run similar defensive schemes. Gannon's concepts are a bit more modern than Quinn's, which could make it a good marriage. Gannon's defense likes to confuse quarterbacks pre-snap and often uses twists and stunts to generate pressure. Washington's pass rush struggled in 2025, especially after losing Dorance Armstrong in Week 7. The Commanders are expected to add edge rusher help this offseason, with GM Adam Peters admitting as much in his season-ending press conference.
Gannon is the fourth known candidate to interview, joining Titans DC Dennard Wilson, Chiefs defensive line coach Joe Cullen and Raiders DC Patrick Graham.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAll four interviewees would appear to be strong candidates for the Commanders, especially after hiring David Blough as offensive coordinator. Quinn will want an experienced play-caller on defense. Quinn took over as the defensive play-caller ahead of the Week 11 game and would prefer to have his defensive coordinator handle those responsibilities moving forward.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Set to interview former Cardinals coach for DC
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