The new look The Washington Commanders’ football operations staff, led by recently acquired general manager Adam Peters and coach Dan Quinn, is coming together.
On Wednesday, the team announced Lance Newmark as assistant general manager, reporting directly to Peters. Newmark joins Washington after 26 years with the Detroit Lions, the last two as senior director of player personnel.
“Lance is a phenomenal person, and he will immediately elevate our overall personnel function here,” Peters stated. “I’ve known and admired Lance throughout my scouting career. He is a well respected talent evaluator and a fantastic leader who will be an excellent fit for what we are creating.”
Peters, Quinn, offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. have also made several staff additions, including hiring Larry Izzo as special teams coach, Bobby Johnson as offensive line coach, and Ken Norton Jr. as linebackers coach, according to a person familiar with the moves, who also confirmed that quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard, receivers coach Bobby Engram, and pass rush specialist Ryan Kerrigan will return.
The individual spoke with The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the hires had not yet been disclosed.
Martin Mayhew, who previously served as general manager while Ron Rivera was in charge of football operations, will remain as senior personnel executive/advisor to the GM, while Marty Hurney will take on an advisory position.
Newmark, who began his career as an NFL executive working for Hall of Famer Bobby Beathard with the San Diego Chargers in the 1990s, has been with Detroit since 1998. With the Lions, he most recently managed day-to-day operations in football technology and information, serving as a bridge between those departments and player personnel.
“I will always be thankful for my time in Detroit and cannot say enough good things about the Lions organization,” Newmark said in a statement. “I have tremendous respect for Adam, and believe strongly in him, and in his vision for this franchise.”
Josh Harris discusses how Commanders hired Dan Quinn.
Josh Harris, owner of the Washington Commanders, has had a very busy month. After firing head coach Ron Rivera last month, Harris formed an advisory group to select Washington’s new general manager and coach.
Harris stated that the organization’s search would be swift yet thorough. That proved true during the GM search, as Washington found five candidates and completed the search within a week. The Commanders secured their main target, former 49ers assistant general manager Adam Peters.
The head coaching search would be slightly different. There were more candidates, and interview times varied for teams remaining in the playoffs. That meant Washington would have to wait on the majority of its nominees.
Many assumed that Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson was the prime target. The commanders have argued that the process was open throughout. Ultimately, Johnson withdrew from consideration because Washington brass was on a plane to see him in Detroit.
In an interview with Chick Hernandez of WUSA9 in Washington, Harris was asked about Johnson and Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn.
“Yeah, the internet works up in the air,” Harris replied with a chuckle when asked about Johnson’s withdrawal from consideration, before swiftly turning his attention to finding the perfect coach.
Dan Quinn, the former Cowboys defensive coordinator, was the right coach for Washington.
“Listen, we, uh, identified Dan very early,” Harris explained of Quinn. “You heard a lot about his leadership and motivational abilities up there. As he spoke, I was thinking about the limited fraternity of players and coaches, and in order to be elite, you must track elite people. Right. So his ability to track those folks really impressed us.”
Harris then commended the relationship between Peters and Quinn.
“So we identified him, and listen, there were a lot of qualified candidates who went through a very thorough process and, you know, we ended up with our guy,” Harris went on to say.
Quinn’s ability to attract good people to work with him has already been evident on his coaching staff. The Commanders are assembling a high-quality staff, having hired Kliff Kingsbury (offensive coordinator), Joe Whitt Jr. (defensive coordinator), Larry Izzo (special teams coordinator), Ken Norton (linebackers), Brian Johnson (offensive assistant/title TBD), Jason Simmons (defensive pass game coordinator), and John Pagano (senior defensive assistant), with several positions still open.
Harris or Washington are unconcerned about the idea that Quinn was not the primary target. Fans should not either. Quinn appears to be an excellent fit for the Commanders, particularly with Peters, which is a crucial relationship.
Report: Commanders employ 49ers’ assistant Lynn as run-game coordinator.
The Washington Commanders and new coach Dan Quinn are still making huge moves.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Washington has hired Anthony Lynn, the San Francisco 49ers’ associate head coach, as their run-game coordinator.
Lynn, 55, is the first assistant who coached Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday to be removed from either the Kansas City Chiefs or the 49ers’ coaching staffs.
The Commanders earlier announced that Kliff Kingsbury would be the team’s offensive coordinator.
Lynn previously served as head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers from 2017 to 2020, compiling a 33-31 record and a 1-1 postseason record. Schefter also said that Lynn is connected to new Commanders general manager Adam Peters, who previously worked as the 49ers’ assistant general manager. Lynn has a wonderful relationship with Quinn.
Lynn has nearly 20 years of NFL experience coaching running backs, having previously played the position.
Anthony Lynn, the 49ers associate head coach, is departing to join the Commanders.
