Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera has kept his coaching staff intact over the previous two offseasons. His biggest move came one month before year three when he fired defensive line coach Sam Mills III and replaced him with Jeff Zgonina.
On Tuesday, two days after the Commanders finished 8-8-1, Rivera fired offensive coordinator Scott Turner.
Turner may not be the only vacancy Rivera needs to fill, as Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported Thursday that the Tennessee Titans requested permission to interview defensive backs, coach Chris Harris.
Harris just completed his third season with the Commanders after beginning his coaching career in 2013 as a quality control coach with the Bears. The 40-year-old Harris played eight years in the NFL and has received attention from other teams in the past two offseasons.
With Rivera heading into year four and new ownership looming, perhaps Harris is looking for another opportunity.
The #Titans have requested to speak with #Commanders defensive backs coach Chris Harris for a position on the defensive staff, per sources. Could be a defensive backs/pass-game coordinator-type role. Harris could also get DC looks around league, too.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) January 12, 2023
Shane Bowen is Tennessee’s defensive coordinator and has no previous ties to Harris. Per Fowler, the Titans could offer Harris a defensive pass-game coordinator role in addition to his role coaching defensive backs.
Washington’s defense rebounded in a big way in 2022. A big part of that growth was the development of cornerback Benjamin St-Juste and safeties Kamren Curl and Darrick Forrest, for which Harris deserves some credit.
