ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the Washington Commanders are set to hire Dalontae Jones — Minnesota’s defensive passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach — as their new defensive coordinator. Jones spent time on the Vikings’ defensive staff, including three seasons working with defensive coordinator Brian Flores, and had also served two seasons as Minnesota’s defensive backs coach.
Even though Minnesota missed the playoffs this year, its defense was one of the NFL’s best: third in total yards allowed, seventh in scoring defense (19.6 points per game) and second in passing yards behind the Buffalo Bills.
Following a 5-12 campaign, Washington moved on from offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury and defensive coordinator Joe Witt. Head coach Dan Quinn will remain and begin his third season in 2026; a former defensive coordinator himself, Quinn is expected to work closely with Jones on the team’s defensive plan.
The Commanders tumbled after reaching the NFC Championship Game in 2024 — a slide partly blamed on QB Jaden Daniels missing 10 of 17 games due to injury — and finished 2025 with the league’s 27th-ranked defense in yards allowed, giving up 26.5 points per game. Jones will be tasked with reversing those trends, but the roster’s advanced average age means Washington will also need to add younger talent on both sides of the ball in the offseason to have a real chance at improvement.
Fan take: This hire matters because it signals Washington is serious about rebuilding its defense by bringing in a rising coach from a highly regarded Minnesota unit. If Jones can quickly fix a struggling D while working with Quinn and a revamped, younger roster, it could change the Commanders’ trajectory and influence how other teams prioritize coordinator hires.
