Redskins News

Redskins Announce Coaching Staff Changes

By Philip Hughes

Posted on January 23, 2017

Redskins Announce Coaching Staff Changes

LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. Press Release Directly From Team – The Washington Redskins announced today that they have made several changes to their coaching staff, including the promotion of Matt Cavanaugh to Offensive Coordinator, the promotion of Greg Manusky to Defensive Coordinator, the promotion of Chad Englehart to Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, the hiring of Kevin O’Connell as Quarterbacks Coach, the hiring of Jim Tomsula as Defensive Line Coach and the hiring of Kavan Latham as Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach.

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Cavanaugh, 60, brings 33 years of NFL experience as a coach and player to the role, including 14 as a quarterback with the New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants from 1978-91. His résumé also includes 12 seasons as an offensive coordinator at the collegiate and professional levels.

Cavanaugh served as the Redskins’ quarterbacks coach from 2015-16, presiding over the most prolific two-year passing attack in team history. The Redskins’ 8,853 passing yards across those two seasons marked the Redskins most in a two-year stretch, exceeding the 8,485 posted by the 1988-89 Redskins. The Redskins posted team passer ratings of 102.0 and 97.4 in 2015 and 2016, respectively, posting passer ratings above 95.0 in consecutive seasons for the first time in team history.

Under Cavanaugh’s guidance, quarterback Kirk Cousins finished 2016 with single-season team records in attempts (606), completions (406) and passing yards (4,917) and matched his team record for 300-yard passing games (seven). Cousins’ also posted the third-highest completion percentage (67.0) and tied for the sixth-most passing touchdowns in a season in team history (25). He became the first quarterback in team history to average 300 passing yards per game in a season (307.3), surpassing the previous franchise mark of 269.1, set by Mark Rypien in 1989.

Manusky, 50, brings 28 combined seasons of NFL experience to the role, including 16 as a coach and 12 as a player. Prior to returning to the Redskins as the team’s outside linebackers coach in 2016, Manusky spent nine seasons as a defensive coordinator with the Indianapolis Colts (2012-15), San Diego Chargers (2011) and San Francisco 49ers (2007-10). During his 16 seasons as an NFL coach, 12 different players have earned a total of 18 Pro Bowl selections under his tutelage.

Last season, Manusky helped guide linebacker Ryan Kerrigan to his second career Pro Bowl selection. Kerrigan posted 11.0 sacks, becoming only the fifth player in team history to record multiple 10-sack seasons. Manusky’s contributions were also key to linebacker Trent Murphy’s breakout campaign in 2016, a year in which the third-year pro recorded 9.0 sacks after totaling 6.0 across his first two NFL seasons in 2014-15. Manusky’s duo became the first pair to record at least nine sacks each in a single season for the Redskins since Andre Carter and Brian Orakpo in 2009.

O’Connell, 31, joins the Redskins after spending the 2016 season overseeing special projects for the San Francisco 49ers. In 2015, he served as quarterbacks coach for the Cleveland Browns and worked with quarterback Josh McCown, who became the first player in Browns franchise history to throw for 300-or-more yards in three consecutive games.

Prior to coaching, O’Connell spent time with the Patriots, Lions, Jets, Dolphins and Chargers during his five year NFL career (2008-12). He was a four-year team captain at San Diego State from 2004-07, appearing in 40 games and finishing his career ranked third in school history in completions (664), fourth in passing yards (7,689) and fifth in passing touchdowns (46).

Tomsula, 48, joins the Redskins with more than three decades of coaching experience, including nine seasons at the NFL level. Prior to spending one season as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers in 2015, Tomsula served as the 49ers’ defensive line coach for eight seasons from 2007-14.

Tomsula’s defensive lines in San Francisco were consistently strong against the run, as the 49ers ranked fourth in the league in rushing yards allowed per game (98.4) and second in rushing average (3.72) across his eight seasons working directly with the unit. Under Tomsula’s tutelage, defensive tackle Justin Smith was named to five consecutive Pro Bowls (2009-13) and earned All-Pro honors in 2011, 2012 and 2013.

Englehart, 31, assumes his new title after serving as the Redskins’ assistant strength and conditioning coach for the last seven seasons. Prior to joining the Redskins in 2010, he served as the head strength and conditioning coach for the UFL’s Florida Tuskers in 2009.

In 2008, Englehart served as director of strength and conditioning at Xcel Sports Performance in Louisiana. Before that, he was head strength and conditioning coach in 2007 at HS2 Athletic Performance in Mandeville, La., and at the University of New Orleans in 2006.

Latham, 28, returns to the Redskins after serving as a strength and conditioning intern for the team in 2013. He spent the last three seasons with the New York Jets, interning with the team in 2014 and serving as an assistant strength and conditioning coach from 2015-16.

H/T via Redskins Press Release

CAVANAUGH FOOTBALL TIMELINE

2015-16: Quarterbacks, Washington Redskins
2013-14 Quarterbacks, Chicago Bears
2009-12: Quarterbacks, New York Jets
2005-08: Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks, Pittsburgh
1999-2004: Offensive Coordinator, Baltimore Ravens
1997-98: Offensive Coordinator, Chicago Bears
1996: Quarterbacks, San Francisco 49ers
1994-95: Quarterbacks, Phoenix Cardinals
1993: Tight Ends, Pittsburgh
1990-91: Quarterback, New York Giants
1986-89: Quarterback, Philadelphia Eagles
1983-85: Quarterback, San Francisco 49ers
1978-82: Quarterback, New England Patriots
1974-77: Quarterback, Pittsburgh

MANUSKY FOOTBALL TIMELINE

2016: Outside Linebackers, Washington Redskins
2012-15: Defensive Coordinator, Indianapolis Colts
2011: Defensive Coordinator, San Diego Chargers
2007-10: Defensive Coordinator, San Francisco 49ers
2002-06: Linebackers, San Diego Chargers
2001: Linebackers, Washington Redskins
2000: Training Camp Volunteer Coach, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
1994-99: Linebacker, Kansas City Chiefs
1991-93: Linebacker, Minnesota Vikings
1988-90: Linebacker, Washington Redskins
1984-87: Linebacker, Colgate

ENGLEHART FOOTBALL TIMELINE

2010-16: Assistant Strength and Conditioning, Washington Redskins
2009: Head Strength and Conditioning, Florida Tuskers (UFL)
2008: Director of Strength and Conditioning, Xcel Sports Performance (La.)
2007: Head Strength and Conditioning, HS2 Athletic Performance (La.)
2006: Head Strength and Conditioning, University of New Orleans

TOMSULA FOOTBALL TIMELINE

2015: Head Coach, San Francisco 49ers
2007-14: Defensive Line Coach, San Francisco 49ers (Interim Head Coach in 2010)
2004-05: Asst. Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers, Catawba College
2002-03: Asst. Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Line, Catawba College
2001: Asst. Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator/Strength and Conditioning, Catawba College
1998-99: Defensive Line/Outside Linebackers/Special Teams, Catawba College
1997: Defensive Line, Catawba College
1992-95: Linebackers/Defensive Line/Strength and Conditioning, Charleston Southern
1990: Defensive Line, Woodland Hills (Pa.) H.S.
1989: Strength and Conditioning/Defensive Line, Catawba College
1987-88: Defensive Lineman, Catawba College
1985: Defensive Lineman, Middle Tennessee State