HEADLINES

Washington Plans To Hire Joe Barry As DC?

January 15th, 2015 at 8:15am CST by Luke Adams

THURSDAY, 8:15am: Former 49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, who isn’t returning to San Francisco, is a late entry being considered for Washington’s defensive coordinator position, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. While there’s no indication of how serious Washington’s interest is, or whether it’s mutual, the fact that Fangio could be in the mix suggests the team still has yet to make its final decision.

WEDNESDAY, 1:33pm: Echoing what Keim, Jones, and Boyer reported earlier, Dianna Marie Russini of NBC 4 tweets that Washington hasn’t hired Barry yet, and goes a step further, calling the initial report “false,” even though Rapoport didn’t say a deal had been completed. There’s still no indication that Washington is leaning toward another candidate, and Keim tweets that a number of the team’s assistants expect Barry to land the job. However, it definitely doesn’t seem to be a sure thing at this point.

8:53am: Three Washington beat reporters – ESPN’s John Keim, Mike Jones of the Washington Post, and Zac Boyer of the Washington Times – have all tweeted that there’s no agreement in place yet between Barry and the team. However, Rapoport’s report didn’t explicitly say that the two sides had agreed to terms — just that Washington intends to hire Barry. None of the Washington writers have indicated that the team is leaning in any other direction, so it still looks as if Barry will ultimately land the job, even if nothing’s official yet.

8:41am: Washington has decided on a replacement for recently dismissed defensive coordinator Jim Haslett, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who reports (via Twitter) that the club will hire Chargers linebackers coach Joe Barry to fill the position. Rapoport had indicated yesterday that either Barry or Raheem Morris appeared likely to land Washington’s DC job.

Barry has one previous stint as a defensive coordinator under his belt, with the Lions from 2007 to 2008. Of course, Barry left that position at a low point, following the club’s 0-16 campaign in ’08. Barry’s run in Detroit is perhaps best remembered for prompting one reporter to ask his father-in-law, head coach Rod Marinelli, if he wished his daughter had “married a better defensive coordinator.”

Since leaving the Lions, Barry has worked as an assistant for the Buccaneers, USC, and the Chargers, holding the position of linebackers coach at each one of those stops. His hiring in Washington comes after the team also reportedly interviewed candidates like Morris, Eric Mangini, Ed Donatell, and Wade Phillips. According to Dianna Marie Russini of NBC 4 in Washington (Twitter link), Morris’ interview with the club was “just okay,” which presumably opened the door for Barry to land the job.

As Washington’s new defensive coordinator, Barry will be tasked with turning around a unit that finished 27th in DVOA in 2014, including 32nd against the pass. The team also allowed 27.4 points per game this season, tied for the third-worst mark in the NFL.

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