Josh Norman

Redskins fire entire defensive staff, per report

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 2:50 p.m. ET

Fansided, Carly Regehr/Fansided

Per report, Washington Redskins HC Jay Gruden will not keep his staff on defense for next season.

It was a rocky time for those in and outside of the beltway. The Washington Redskins failed to make it to the 2016 postseason with some inefficiencies, including a plethora of them on defense. Head coach Jay Gruden is now reportedly making sweeping changes on the defensive side of the ball.

This year, the Redskins signed Josh Norman in hopes of fixing what had been a leaky secondary. He helped to some degree, finishing the season with three interceptions. As word comes down of Gruden’s wholesale changes, it will be a long while before everyone’s on the same page.

For a majority of the season, defensive coordinator Joe Barry has been on the hot seat. And this isn’t the first time. Back in 2008, the infamous – and winless – Detroit Lions were predictably atrocious on defense. Barry was the defensive coordinator of that team.

And Detroit’s not the only organization that Barry has tainted. During his time in Washington, the Redskins were penultimate in yards allowed. It’s also a matter of wealth distribution. For instance, Washington spent sixty-four percent of its salary cap on the offense, which, in turn, spoiled the chances of a decent defense.

All this calculated and considered, Barry should be singled out, but there are more bad apples in the bunch. Despite collecting 26 years of experience, defensive line coach Robb Akey has been tortured throughout the 2016 season, along with defensive backs coach Perry Fewell. Both categories on defense haven’t been kind to the Redskins. They rank 17th in turnovers and 15th in interceptions, while holding onto 28th is yards allowed.

It’s pretty obvious to naked eye that the Redskins need to enter renovation mode on defense. Jay Gruden needs to bring in a game-changer that will utilize Josh Norman and Ryan Kerrigan to the best of their abilities. It’s also a matter of how Gruden will handle the Kirk Cousins situation on offense.