The Washington Redskins are shaking things up on their offensive staff.
The club announced Tuesday afternoon that passing game coordinator Kevin O'Connell has been promoted to offensive coordinator. O'Connell will be replacing Matt Cavanaugh, who was Washington's OC for the last two seasons. Cavanaugh has been reassigned to senior offensive assistant.
This will be O'Connell's first OC job. He spent the past two years with the Redskins as pass game coordinator/quarterbacks coach. He was also a QBs coach in Cleveland under Mike Pettine and an offensive assistant in San Francisco under Chip Kelly. A third-round pick of the New England Patriots in 2008, O'Connell spent five seasons cycling through waivers before swapping playing for coaching. His career stats under center: two games played, 23 passing yards.
The 33-year-old O'Connell will inherit an offense that under Cavanaugh was bitten by the injury bug over the past two years. In 2018, Redskins quarterbacks Alex Smith and Colt McCoy both suffered season-ending leg injuries, and rookie running back Derrius Guice tore his ACL before the season even began. Smith is expected to miss the entire 2019 season, leaving a major hole under center and an early obstacle for O'Connell.
The Redskins finished 16th in total and scoring offense in Cavanaugh's first year at the helm, but slipped to 28th and 29th, respectively, in his second year in charge.
O'Connell is the third offensive coordinator of the Jay Gruden era in D.C. (Sean McVay, Cavanaugh).
Washington also announced that defensive line coach Jim Tomsula will return for his third season with the organization.
