It was obvious, and it happened. On Monday morning, the Washington Commanders fired head coach Ron Rivera. Owner Josh Harris has assembled a committee to help in the search for new leaders for the football operation, they are wasting no time in starting the search for a new head coach.
According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the Commanders have submitted requests to interview Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn for their head coaching job.
Johnson is easy to tie to the Commanders' head coaching job, including a report on Sunday morning that Pelissero had a part in naming Johnson as a candidate once Rivera was officially fired. Glenn is sure to get head coaching interviews again himself this year, and that the Commanders also want to talk to him isn't surprising.
Commanders will have to wait to interview Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn, in-person anyway
The NFL head coaching process can be rushed, as coordinators from playoff teams are naturally in-demand for interviews and face conflicting focuses during a playoff run.
On that front, in terms of slowing down the hiring cycle a bit, the league allows virtual interviews with playoff teams' coaches starting three days after the Wild Card Round. Under a new rule, in-person interviews with other teams' coaches are prohibited until after the Divisional Round.
Johnson and Glenn are sure to wait until after the last game of the Lions' season before doing any head coaching interviews. While the Commanders have moved quickly to request an interview with both Lions' coordinators, and Rams' defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, it also seems like they won't rush the hire of their new head coach until they've talked to everyone they want to.
Johnson and Glenn will be wanted by multiple teams to interview for their head coaching jobs. The Commanders are simply the first to ask for permission, and doing so for both of the Lions' coordinators at once makes them stand out.