The Washington Commanders are hiring Minnesota Vikings defensive passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach Daronte Jones as their defensive coordinator, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.
Jones has coached under Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores for three seasons. He spent two seasons as Minnesota’s defensive backs coach prior to Flores’ arrival in 2023.
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The Vikings missed the playoffs this season but fielded one of the league’s best defenses. Under Flores and Jones, Minnesota finished third in the league in total yards allowed and seventh in points allowed per game (19.6). Minnesota ranked second in passing yards allowed behind the Buffalo Bills.
Commanders fielded one of NFL’s worst defenses in 2025
After a 5-12 season, the Commanders parted with both offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt. Head coach Dan Quinn remains and will enter the 2026 campaign in his third year on the job. Quinn is a former defensive coordinator and will presumably work closely with Jones in running Washington’s defense.
After advancing to the NFC championship game in 2024 — Washington’s first season with Quinn and quarterback Jayden Daniels — the Commanders regressed dramatically in 2025. That regression can be partly attributed to injuries that ultimately sidelined Daniels for 10 of Washington’s 17 games. But its defense was the worst in the NFL in terms of yards allowed and ranked 27th while allowing 26.5 points per game.
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Jones will be tasked with improving on those numbers. But he won’t be able to do the job alone. The Commanders fielded the oldest roster by average age in the NFL last season and will need to inject young talent on both sides of the ball in the offseason if they expect to improve in 2026.
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