The NFL season will officially kick off on Wednesday night when the New England Patriots travel to play the defending Super Bowl champs, the Seattle Seahawks. But it’s never too early to start thinking about coaches who could be on the hot seat, and one is in the NFC East.
Commanders head coach Dan Quinn is entering his third season with Washington, and this could very well be his last. The Commanders finished 5-12 last season, and if they continue on the same path this year, Quinn may find himself looking for a new job. Former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin could be at the top of the list for potential replacements, and Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton thinks Tomlin would be a good fit for the Commanders.
“In 2025, [Jayden] Daniels missed 10 games due to injuries, which stunted his second-year growth, and only completed 60.6 percent of his passes,” Moton wrote on Saturday. Still, after he won 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year, he goes into his third campaign garnering high expectations. If Quinn’s offensive assistants aren’t able to get the best out of him, the front office could consider more coaching changes.
“After Ben Roethlisberger retired in 2022, Pittsburgh struggled offensively under Tomlin, but with a young franchise quarterback already in place, he may see better results on that side of the ball with the Commanders.”
Tomlin Could Come in and Fix Jayden Daniels
In Quinn’s first season with Washington, the Commanders reached the NFC Championship Game but lost to the Philadelphia Eagles. Daniels was a key factor in their success and had a great rookie season. However, Daniels appeared in only seven games last season because of a handful of injuries, and he didn’t finish the season strong, posting a 2-5 record while throwing for 1,262 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions.
If the Commanders and Daniels follow the same path as last season, then Washington might throw up one more Hail Mary to save Daniels, which could involve bringing in a coach like Tomlin.
Mike Tomlin Hasn’t Closed the Door on Coaching
Tomlin isn’t currently coaching, as he will be part of NBC’s NFL coverage this season, appearing on “Football Night in America”, which is a pre- and post- “Sunday Night Football”.
But even though he isn’t walking the sidelines this season, he didn’t close the door on coaching and even told ESPN’s Rich Eisen on Thursday that he hasn’t closed any doors.
“I’ve just lived enough to know to leave certain doors ajar,” Tomlin said, via Men’s Journal’s Larry Stansbury.
If Tomlin is ready to get back on the sidelines next season, then a lot of teams will be calling for him, as he is one of the best coaches in the history of the NFL.
Even though Tomlin hasn’t won a playoff game since the 2016 season, he has never finished a single season with a record below .500 while coaching the Steelers in his 19 years in Pittsburgh.
Ex-Steelers HC Mike Tomlin Named ‘Best’ Fit to Join NFC Playoff Contender Next Season