Who Will Be Dan Snyder's Eighth Head Coach?

With Mike Shanahan’s long-awaited and awkward departure as Washington Redskins head coach passed, the focus turns to who the eighth coach of the Dan Snyder era will be.

General manager Bruce Allen said Monday the team is looking for a leader and will consider NFL and college coaches, assistants and head coaches. They want someone who can manage time, considering how little of it the coach will have with players in the offseason, Allen said.

In addition to Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott, who reportedly will interview this weekend, News4 Sports has developed this list of three NFL offensive coordinators and three college head coaches as the next possible head coach, in no particular order.

  • Greg Roman, San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator. Roman, 41, directs a run-heavy offense that made Colin Kaepernick a Super Bowl quarterback in his second season. Roman went to the 49ers with head coach Jim Harbaugh in 2011 after two years as Harbaugh’s offensive coordinator at Stanford. In 2013, the 49ers ranked 24th in yards per game (323.8), 30th in passing yards (186.2/game), third in rushing (137.6/game) and 11th in total points (406). His coaching career began with the Carolina Panthers (1995–2001). He coached tight ends (2002-03) and quarterbacks (2004-05) for the Houston Texans. He coached the Baltimore Ravens’ offensive line in 2006 and 2007. The New Jersey native graduated from John Carroll University.
  • Darrell Bevell, Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator. Bevell, 43, built an offense around the dual-threat capabilities of Russell Wilson. In 2013, the Seahawks ranked 17th in yards per game (339), 26th in passing yards (202.2/game), fourth in rushing (136.8/game) and eighth in total points (417). After assistant coaching stints at Westmar University, Iowa State University and the University of Connecticut, Bevell began his NFL career as an offensive assistant with the Green Bay Packers in 2000. He was promoted to quarterbacks coach in 2003 and served as the Minnesota Vikings’ offensive coordinator from 2006 through 2010 before taking the same position with the Seahawks in 2011. Bevell was a four-year starting quarterback at the University of Wisconsin.
  • Jay Gruden, Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator. The 46-year-old younger brother of former Los Angeles Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden created a Top 10 offense with third year quarterback Andy Dalton. In 2013, the Bengals ranked 10th in yards per game (368.4), eighth in passing yards (258.7/game), 18th in rushing (109.7/game) and sixth in total points (430). Gruden’s coaching career began in the Arena League, where he won two ArenaBowls as head coach of the Orlando Predators (1998, 2000). He also served as an offensive assistant under his brother with the Buccaneers from 2002-2008 before the Bengals hired him in 2011. Gruden played quarterback at Louisville and in the Arena League prior to his coaching career.
  • Art Briles, Baylor head coach. Briles, who coached Robert Griffin III to a Heisman Trophy in 2011, agreed to new 10-year deal at Baylor in November. Rumored to be the favorite of Robert Griffin II, Briles, 58, had his best season at Baylor this year, going 11-1 and earning a Big 12 conference title, No. 6 BCS and AP ranking, and Fiesta Bowl bid. Since taking the helm at Baylor, Briles is 44-31. He went 34-28 at Houston from 2003 through 2007. He won four Texas state championships in the 1990s at Stephensville High School. He is credited as one of the coaches responsible for introducing the spread offense to Texas high school football.
  • Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M head coach. The 49-year-old Sumlin, who built a fast-paced offense built around 2012 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Johnny Manziel, just signed a new six-year deal at A&M. Like Briles, Sumlin’s first college head coaching gig was with Houston, where he went 35-17 from 2008 through 2011. In two seasons at A&M he is 19-6. He served as an assistant coach at Washington State (1988-90), Wyoming (1991-92), Minnesota (1993-97), Purdue (1998-2000), Texas A&M (2001-02) and Oklahoma (2003-07). He was co-offensive coordinator at Oklahoma his final two seasons there. Sumlin played linebacker for Purdue.
  • David Shaw, Stanford head coach. Shaw is considered one of country's hottest coaching prospects. He led Stanford to BCS bowl games in each of his three seasons (34-6). Prior to taking over for former head coach Jim Harbaugh, Shaw, 41, served as Harbaugh’s offensive coordinator at Stanford (2007-10) and his passing game coordinator at the University of San Diego (2006). Shaw has nine years of experience in the NFL prior to linking up with Harbaugh in college. He was the quality control coach for Philadelphia (1997) and Oakland (1998-2000) before coaching the Raiders’ quarterbacks in 2001. At Baltimore, he coached wide receivers from 2002 through 2005 and quarterbacks from 2002 through 2004. A wide receiver for the Cardinal from 1991 through 1994, Shaw is the first alum to serve as Stanford’s head coach.
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