John KeimESPN Staff Writer November 24, 2023, 10:52am ET3 minutes read
ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — The Commanders have fired defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, coach Ron Rivera announced Friday, as Washington’s defense has plummeted to the bottom of the NFL rankings after entering the season with high expectations.
The Commanders (4-8) have lost three straight – including their 45-10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday – and eight of their last 10. They had hoped the defense would be a consistent force considering how many new pieces they had on offense. But instead the defense became an albatross.
As losses mounted, so did the pressure on the organization to take action.
According to ESPN sources, Rivera is expected to take over defensive duties for the remainder of the season.
The Commanders’ defense ranks last in points allowed and 29th in yards allowed, a year after ranking seventh and third in those categories, respectively. The Commanders kept giving up big plays and failed to make many of their own.
Washington has allowed a league-high 49 passes of 20 yards or more. The Commanders haven’t intercepted a pass in their last six games and haven’t caused a turnover in their last three games.
Defensive coach Brent Vieselmeyer was also fired on Friday.
“I appreciate everything they have contributed to the organization over the last four seasons and wish the team all the best for the future,” Rivera said in a statement.
Commanders owner Josh Harris said he accepted Rivera’s recommendations to fire Del Rio and Vieselmeyer.
“I feel exactly what our fans feel today: disappointed and frustrated. That’s how our players and staff feel,” Harris said in a statement. “I knew there would be challenges along the way in our first season as owners, and we will not shy away from hard work or be deterred by adversity. As Coach Rivera and I discussed, we have committed all of our energy to the remainder of the season. “We will focus on playing better, more consistent football and developing our players, while also taking a close look at the areas in which we need to improve need to improve this offseason. Our fans deserve a team that can compete with the best in the NFL and win sustainably over the long term. I will not deviate from this mission.”
In Del Rio’s first three seasons with Washington, the defense was inconsistent. In 2020, the Commanders ranked fourth in points allowed and second in yards allowed. However, the next season they finished 25th in points allowed and 22nd in yards allowed.
Washington had invested in its defense, so more was expected. The Commanders opened the season with a defensive line considered one of the best in football; All four starters were first-round draft picks. But that group couldn’t produce to their liking, and they ended up trading both defensive players, sending Montez Sweat to Chicago and Chase Young to San Francisco.
Defensive tackles Daron Payne and Jon Allen, who both made the Pro Bowl last year, have regressed this season. In 2022, Allen had a 13.8% pass rush win rate and 7.5 sacks, while Payne was at 12.7% and 11.5 sacks. This season, Allen has 5.5 sacks and a 10.9% pass rush win rate; Payne has two sacks and a win rate of 6.1%.
Del Rio has coached in the NFL since 1997 and served as head coach in Jacksonville from 2003 to 2011 and with the Raiders from 2015 to 2017. He also served as defensive coordinator at Carolina for one season and at Denver for three seasons.
He caused a stir in June 2022 when he described the events at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 as a “riot”. Earlier this year, he also tweeted in response to a post about upcoming hearings on the events of January 6: “I would like to understand the full story about why it is the summer of riots, looting, fires and destruction of personal property.” never discussed, but that is??? #CommonSense.”
Rivera fined Del Rio $100,000 at the time, saying his comments had distracted the team.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter contributed to this report.