The Washington Commanders continue to finalize their coaching staff under holdover head coach Dan Quinn and his two new coordinators, offensive coordinator David Blough and defensive coordinator Daronte Jones.
Shortly after Blough was hired, he reached into his past, hiring former college teammate Danny Etling as his new quarterbacks coach. Defensively, the Commanders made a big move last week, hiring former Rams and USC defensive line coach Eric Henderson as their new defensive line coach. Henderson had no prior working connections with Jones, though.
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Late last week, Washington did hire someone with ties to Blough, and it sort of flew under the radar. The Commanders hired Jake Olsen to their defensive staff. His role hasn’t been announced yet, as Washington hasn’t officially announced his hiring. OIsen spent the past two seasons at LSU as safeties coach. In 2021, he worked at LSU as an analyst, working with linebackers when Jones was the defensive coordinator.
For Jones to want to bring Olsen on board for his first NFL defensive coordinator job is a big deal. The Commanders already have cornerbacks, safeties and a linebackers coach. So, Jones clearly sees value in Olsen as a young, up-and-coming coach.
The Commanders need plenty of help on defense. Unfortunately, they are without picks in the second and fourth rounds. Olsen can give Washington some unique perspective on three potential draft picks: cornerback Mansoor Delane, safety A.J. Haulcy and linebacker Harold Perkins.
Olsen coached safeties, so he worked specifically with Haulcy, who played one year at LSU after transferring from Houston. He was excellent in 2025 under Olsen’s tutelage, recording 88 tackles, three interceptions and one forced fumble. Haulcy is a big, physical presence who excels against the run and is also tremendous in coverage. Haulcy’s projection is somewhere on Day 2. Jones is a defensive back coach by trade, so you can bet he’d love Haulcy’s style of play. The best thing about Haulcy is that he forces turnovers and has a fitting nickname: “Mr. Give Me That.”
While Olsen didn’t coach cornerbacks, he’s very familiar with Delane. Like Haulcy, Delane played one year with the Tigers after transferring from Virginia Tech. Delane was dominant in his one season in Baton Rouge. Washington needs another starting cornerback, but will the Commanders target one inside the top 10? That’s debatable. However, if they do, Delane is the likely candidate.
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Finally, we have Perkins. He looked like a future top-10 pick in his first two seasons before tearing his ACL in 2024. Perkins recorded 147 tackles, including 26 for loss and 13 sacks. The knock on Perkins is his size (6-foot-1, 222 pounds). He’s fast, excellent in coverage, and a terrific blitzer. He likely goes somewhere between the third and fourth rounds. Perkins can be a Swiss Army Knife-type defender at the next level, who will put him in a position to succeed on every snap.
Does Olsen’s arrival mean the Commanders will draft one of these three players? No. But he will provide excellent intel on each prospect, and Jones will value his opinion. It will be interesting to watch over the next two months.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: New assistant has ties to 3 defensive prospects
