When the Washington Redskins hired new head coach Jay Gruden speculation grew that 27-year-old tight-ends coach Sean McVay would take over as offensive coordinator. The Redskins, after days of not knowing, elevated McVay to that position on Tuesday.
McVay, according to his agent, Bob LaMonte (who also represents Gruden), signed his new contract today at Redskins Park. McVay, who was the Redskins’ tight ends coach for the past three seasons, turns 28 on January 24th. But players have praised him the past couple seasons because of his knowledge of the offense and for the way he relates to players. McVay coached with Gruden for one season in Tampa Bay, and one in the United Football League. It was clear that general manager Bruce Allen was going to keep McVay as a member of the staff no matter who the coach was.
Jay Gruden has already been asked, and he indeed will be calling the plays, so McVay’s primary task should be to mostly help formulate the game plan and run meetings when Gruden is unavailable.
Former Redskins tight end Chris Cooley played one and a half seasons under McVay and had this to say:
He had the highest understanding of an offense of any position coach I’ve ever been around. We’d go back and forth in meetings on scheme, why and how. There was always an answer. I love that in a coach.
Two years ago I said if anyone becomes a head coach on this staff it would be Sean McVay.
Redskins guard Kory Lichtensteiger had this to say about McVay:
The relationships he has with players and what he gets out of a player with both effort and production on the field by not being a screamer. He’s a guy you can relate to. He has a lot of shared characteristics with hard-working players. Players can see if a guy knows what he’s talking about and he goes about it the right way getting that type of effort out of his players.
