Rumors: Kevin O'Connell being seriously considered as head coach for Washington Redskins
As reported previously, the Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder has been given a list of candidates to replace Jay Gruden. Now, several people around the NFL believe that the Redskins will promote their offensive coordinator Kevin O'Connell to the head coach role.
This would mean that Bill Callahan is just a temporary placeholder for the team, although it should be kept in mind that O'Connell will be calling plays for the offense. This gives a chance for him to show the organization what he can do for this team as a young, offensive-mind. As it is, the Redskins have already lost several young coaches in the past, who are currently head coaches of teams around the league.
Those coaches would be San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur and most notably Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay who took the Rams to the Super Bowl in just his second season.
It is clear the Redskins have a history of letting go young, offensive-minded coaches who could have benefitted the team. It certainly would be a mistake to let go of O'Connell, since there was interest in his services from other teams.
The real question will be whether Snyder and general manager Bruce Allen will actually promote him next season. Callahan has just one head coaching job under his belt, serving for the Oakland Raiders from 2002-2003. He has been with the Redskins since 2015 and may know the culture with the organization, but his heavy run-game scheme might not work with an offense like the Redskins who have several wide-receivers who can run and catch.
That is where O'Connell comes in, who can develop a offensive attack and help groom rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins find his groove. If the Redskins organization, the fans, and the league want to see Haskins in his true form, only O'Connell would be able to bring it out in him.