"The Washington Commanders finally have the man to conduct their defense, and it's former Minnesota Vikings defensive backs coach/run game coordinator Daronte Jones. Jones has never been a coordinator at the NFL level, but he's an experienced positional coach who was interviewed by several different teams. The Commanders weren't able to fulfill their Brian Flores pipe dream, but they nabbed one of his top assistants."
"The Commanders' young cornerback nucleus of Mike Sainristil and Trey Amos was supposed to provide one of the team's biggest strengths in 2025. Instead, the Michigan product had a wildly up-and-down campaign, while the second-round rookie suffered a fractured fibula in Week 10. Prior to his unfortunate injury, Amos flashed some impressive potential. He didn't record any interceptions, but had six pass breakups and wasn't toasted in coverage nearly as often as Sainristil and Marshon Lattimore were."
"A new coaching staff is one of the easiest ways to provide that. Jones has a long history of working magic with the Vikings' defensive backs. In three of the past four years, Minnesota has been in the top 10 league-wide in takeaways. This season, they ranked No. 2 in overall pass defense. Jones has been instrumental in the late-bloomer development of players such as Isaiah Rodgers and Byron Murphy, who have thrived in Minnesota after being cast off by their drafted teams."
Daronte Jones was hired as the Washington Commanders' defensive coordinator after serving as Minnesota's defensive backs coach and run game coordinator. Jones has not previously held an NFL coordinator title but brings extensive positional coaching experience and interviews from multiple teams. Trey Amos stands as a likely beneficiary after showing promise before a Week 10 fractured fibula, recording six pass breakups and steadier coverage than teammates. Jones guided Minnesota defenses into the top 10 in takeaways three of the past four years and No. 2 in pass defense this season. He helped develop Isaiah Rodgers, Byron Murphy, Josh Metellus and revitalized Harrison Smith.
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