Commanders want to interview Roman, which isn’t surprising at all originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Eric Bieniemy isn’t the only offensive mind that Ron Rivera and the Commanders intend to talk to this week.
In addition to chatting with the well-regarded Chiefs assistant coach, Washington also hopes to soon interview Greg Roman — who spent the last four years in Baltimore — for the club’s open offensive coordinator spot, a source confirmed to NBC Sports Washington on Monday.
ESPN’s John Keim was first to report on the franchise’s interest in Roman, while the desire to meet with Bieniemy has already been established. The source said to expect that both will be interviewed this week.
Bieniemy’s résumé was only bolstered by Kansas City’s brilliant performance (especially in the second half) in Super Bowl LVII on Sunday versus Philadelphia. If Rivera could convince Bieniemy to join the Commanders, that would represent a major coup.
Roman, however, wouldn’t be a bad consolation prize considering the type of football Rivera wants his squad to play.
In his end-of-year press conference, Rivera wasn’t shy in declaring his belief in Washington being a run-focused bunch. He was even given the chance in that presser to admit that he’d have been more pass-forward in the 2022 campaign if he had better luck/talent at quarterback and opted against doing so.
So, if Rivera’s going to proceed with a unit that emphasizes the likes of Brian Robinson Jr., Antonio Gibson and other ball-carriers — including Sam Howell, possibly — it only makes sense that he’s enticed by sitting down with and evaluating Roman.
Though Roman’s time with the Ravens ended with an unceremonious resignation in January, he did enjoy overall success when in charge of that offense. Roman, thanks largely to an MVP-winning Lamar Jackson, oversaw the sport’s highest-scoring offense in 2019, and while his operation never reached that peak again, Baltimore’s rushing attacks finished first, first, third and second in yardage under his watch.
Like the conversation surrounding Bieniemy — how much of his achievements were because of him and how much were they because he was paired with Patrick Mahomes? — there is the question of how Roman would fare with an organization like the Commanders, which is a Jackson-less outfit.
But still, Roman’s track record as a ground-game orchestrator is undeniably impressive — his stops in Buffalo and San Francisco were also filled with production in that specific area — and Rivera could come away confident that Roman would capably execute his pound-the-ball vision in the event that he hires Roman.
Now, would Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson and Curtis Samuel be pleased by such a decision?
Robert Griffin III and receiver Willie Snead, who both overlapped with Roman during stints with the Ravens, have provided their opinions in the past about how Roman’s aerial scheme is quite basic and not exactly wideout-friendly. As promising as Robinson and Gibson are as a duo, the McLaurin-Dotson-Samuel trio is scarier, and Bieniemy may ultimately be best-suited to highlight their skills and install a throw-heavy approach as a whole.
Yet Rivera, for now, remains the one with the power on the Commanders, and he appreciates what running can do in terms of capturing the time of possession, keeping third downs manageable and wearing down opponents. Roman undoubtedly shares those views.
Therefore, while Bieniemy is the highest-profile name on Washington’s wish list, perhaps Roman is the cleanest potential fit.
