By Adam Aniba
At the conclusion of Ron Rivera's Tuesday's presser, many fans believed that the coaching staff would likely stay intact for the '23 season, pending the potential sale of the team.
Many fans expected that Rivera would only make some wholesale changes, such as a position coach being replaced. So it came as a surprise that shortly after the press conference, the announcement was made that after 3 seasons OC Scott Turner would be fired.
Two potential candidates for Washington's offensive coordinator position are former Colts HC Frank Reich and current Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy. Both have a wealth of experience as offensive play callers. Do they fit the run first mentality that Rivera is looking for though?
As for Reich, he's displayed his ability to adapt to the talent on his roster as an offensive coordinator and a head coach. As the Colts HC, he leaned heavily on All Pro running back Jonathan Taylor to help generate offense.
Similar to Washington, Reich also dealt with a revolving door at quarterback and a banged up offensive line while in Indianapolis and still had levels of success, albeit not enough positives to keep his job.
As for Bieniemy, he probably doesn't fit Rivera's mold in hindsight, but the run/pass ratio in KC has been closer than some might think with 651 passing attempts to 417 rushing attempts in the '22 regular season. Some argue that the Kansas CIty OC is a product of Andy Reid's system, but people in the know, have preached that Bieniemy is one of the most innovative play callers in the league.
Some might question why these two wouldn't just hold out for head coaching opportunity. Reich won't be in high demand to be a HC this season, per many insiders.
Although Bieniemy has had a few offseason interviews for vacant head coaching opportunities, he needs to prove his system works without Reid, before he gets a legit look as a head coach.
Mike Shula is another name that has been thrown around. He was hired to be the Buffalo Bills senior offensive assistant this season.
Two other hot names are Eagles OC Shane Steichen and Lions OC Ben Johnson. Both did tremendous jobs developing their offense, with Steichen being the catalyst for a lot of QB Jalen Hurts success this season.
Unfortunately both are viewed as HC candidates and multiple teams have already requested permission to speak to them for their head coaching vacancies.
All are viewed as innovative playcallers, but also fit the mold of OC's that will adjust their system to the roster.
It's all speculation at this point, but a new owner and change in team structure/philosophy could be attractive for potential candidates. Also, the current group of talented pass catchers will be appealing.
Some have thrown around the idea of Rivera moving into a official GM role at some point with a new owner, in turn giving a future OC an opportunity to potentially be Rivera's successor. This might not be the best course for Washington, but it's a realistic scenario.
A new day is coming in Washington with the sale on the horizon, but getting a competent/experienced OC could lead to a drastic turnaround for the team in '23.