The Commanders have added Steve Wilks to their defensive coaching staff, with Mike Garafolo reporting that the former Jets defensive coordinator began his role last week after the team made the decision to hire him last month.
Wilks, 56, will work on game planning but won’t be on the sideline for game days, according to Garafolo.
His NFL coaching path has taken him across the league for nearly two decades. He entered the NFL in 2006 with the Bears as a defensive backs coach, spent two years with the Chargers, and then joined Ron Rivera in Carolina in the same role. The Panthers later elevated him to assistant head coach in 2015 and then to defensive coordinator after Sean McDermott left for the Bills.
Wilks became the Cardinals’ head coach in 2018, but that run lasted one season. From there, he moved to Cleveland as the Browns’ defensive coordinator in 2019, though he was not kept on in 2020 under the new staff. He also had a stop at Missouri as defensive coordinator before returning to the NFL with the Panthers as secondary coach.
Carolina later promoted Wilks to interim head coach after Matt Rhule was fired in 2022. He then landed with the 49ers as defensive coordinator for the 2023 season, only to be let go after that year. The Jets brought him in as defensive coordinator under Aaron Glenn ahead of the 2025 season, but he was fired in December.
New York’s defense in 2025 finished No. 20 in total yards allowed, No. 30 in points allowed, No. 29 in rushing yards allowed and No. 13 in passing yards allowed.
In Other News...
McLaurin Injury Puts Immediate Pressure On Commanders To Chase Help
Terry McLaurins injury leaves Washington staring at a receiver room that suddenly looks a lot thinner than it did a week ago. The Commanders have built plenty of their offensive identity around McLaurins steadiness and big-play ability, so losing him for the rest of the season changes the conversation for general manager Adam Peters almost immediately.
One name to watch in that search is Brian Thomas Jr., who has reportedly fallen out of favor in Jacksonville. The Jaguars handling of him has only added to the intrigue around a possible trade market, and Washington has to at least be weighing whether to act quickly or ride with what it has while other options emerge. Nothing is done yet, but McLaurins absence has turned receiver help from a nice-to-have into a real roster issue. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Bye Week Puts Adam Peters Under Pressure Early
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For Peters and head coach Dan Quinn, the break offers a chance to reset, but it also comes with the kind of pressure that can build quickly when expectations and results are this far apart. The Commanders are already facing questions about whether the offseason work was enough, and the next stretch will matter even more because the frustration around the line is no longer just about one rough week or two. It is becoming part of a broader critique of how Washington put this team together, and whether meaningful changes are coming once the bye is over. [Read more 🡒]
Dan Quinn Gets More Time As Commanders Pressure Keeps Building
Dan Quinn has bought himself a little more time in Washington after the Commanders recent game and the bye week, with the organization not rushing to make any immediate changes. The support appears to be there for now, and the sense around the team is that there is no midseason urgency to make a coaching switch despite the noise that has built around his future.
Still, the pressure has not gone away, only been pushed down the road. Quinns standing beyond this season remains unsettled, and everything now points toward the coming stretch as the real test of where this relationship goes next, with results over the final run set to shape the conversation one way or another. [Read more 🡒]