WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Washington Commanders have quietly added a familiar NFL name to their defensive brain trust, hiring Steve Wilks, the former Arizona Cardinals head coach, in a part-time role. The team had not made a formal announcement as of Wednesday.
Wilks began the job last week. His work is limited to game-planning help for Daronte Jones, who is in his first season running the defense, and for Dan Quinn, and he does not travel or work with the club on game days.
The 57-year-old has been coaching since 1995. He led Arizona in 2018, served as interim head coach in Carolina in 2022 and ran defenses for Cleveland, San Francisco and Missouri. His most recent stop ended in December 2025, when the New York Jets let him go during his first season as their defensive coordinator.
The extra help arrives at a rough moment. Washington sits at 1-4-1 going into its bye week after Monday night’s loss to San Francisco, and the defense ranks 26th in the league in yards allowed per game.
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