ASHBURN, Va. — The Commanders first confirmed with WUSA9 that Dan Quinn was the new head coach of the team on Friday. Over the weekend, Quinn began putting members of his staff in place. The Commanders hired Kliff Kingsbury as offensive coordinator on Sunday. Now, Quinn is bringing another member of the Cowboys organization on board, the team said Monday.
Whitt worked with Quinn in Dallas for the past three years. Each year producing a top five defense in points allowed. Before joining the Cowboys in 2021, Whitt worked with Quinn as defensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons in 2020.
Whitt made his NFL coaching debut in Atlanta in 2007. His career includes stints with the Green Bay Packers and the Cleveland Browns.
The news of Whitt Jr.'s hire comes just hours after Kliff Kingsbury was hired as the team's offensive coordinator, per a source inside the Washington organization.
Kingsbury on Saturday pulled out of consideration for the Las Vegas Raiders' offensive coordinator job after initially agreeing to go there and work for Antonio Pierce.
Washington, with Josh Harris' ownership group, new general manager Adam Peters and the second pick in the draft, turned out to be a more attractive destination.
Kingsbury is back in the NFL as an assistant after spending last season as an offensive analyst and quarterbacks coach at USC, coaching potential top pick Caleb Williams. At the very least, the Commanders could end up with Williams or UNC's Drake Maye, if they so choose.
Whether it's through the draft, by trade or in free agency, they are expected to add a quarterback or two in the coming months after 2022 fifth-rounder Sam Howell started all 18 games this past season. Howell led the NFL with 612 passes and 21 interceptions and was sacked a league-high 65 times.
Kingsbury being a QB guru clearly made him a desirable candidate to run Washington's offense under Quinn, in a head job for the second time after coaching the Atlanta Falcons from 2015-20.
Kingsbury coached the Arizona Cardinals from 2019-2022 after five seasons in college at Texas Tech. In his new role, Kingsbury succeeds Eric Bieniemy, who lasted just one season in Washington after leaving Kansas City to work for Ron Rivera.
Dan Quinn is expected to hold his first press conference as Commanders head coach on Monday.
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