Could Jim Harbaugh land in Washington?

For quite awhile now, people have speculated that the San Francisco 49ers will move on without head coach, Jim Harbaugh. The New York Jets and Oakland Raiders are the two most obvious landing spots for Harbaugh. But with multiple reports stating that the Redskins may opt to stick with Robert Griffin III over rookie head coach, Jay Gruden, the team might be in the hunt for a new head coach as soon as this offseason. If that’s the case, I believe that Harbaugh becomes their main target.

With an NFC Championship and a 43-16-1 coaching record, Harbaugh has the knowledge and credibility that owners and GMs desire. His .729 win-loss percentage is the 4th best ever. The only head coaches with better winning percentages than Harbaugh are Guy Chamberlin, John Madden, and Vince Lombardi. Being mentioned with coaches of that magnitude is no small feat, and if the Redskins are in the market for a coach, Harbaugh will likely be high on their list of possibilities.

Sitting at 3-9, the Redskins obviously have a lot of work to do to become a good team. Trent Williams, Alfred Morris, DeSean Jackson, Pierre Garcon, and Jordan Reed are the players that highlight Washington’s offensive unit. The defensive side of the ball isn’t quite as glamorous, though. Outside of Ryan Kerrigan, the Washington defense is nothing to write home about.

Inheriting underperforming offenses and defenses is nothing new for Harbaugh, though. 4 out of the 5 years leading up to the hire of Harbaugh, San Francisco ranked worse than 20th in the league in offensive points and yards. Their defense was better, but not by much. From 2006-2010, the Niners saw their team ranked 16th or worse in points allowed 4 separate times.

Under Harbaugh’s tutelage, the Niners quickly saw their offensive and defensive problems evaporate. The San Francisco offense suddenly looked capable and their defense nearly unstoppable. Since Harbaugh took over, the team hasn’t ranked lower than 11th in the NFL in terms of scoring (though the team currently ranks 25th in points scored).

The amount of talent on the Washington defense isn’t equivalent to the talent on the San Francisco defense, so the transition would most likely take longer than it did for the Niners. The fact that the Redskins already run a 3-4 scheme would help, though. If Washington retains Brian Orakpo and he stays healthy, the team will have a pair of formidable pass-rushers to build their defense around.

For that plan to work, the team will have to add young, talented players to the backend of their defense. Due to injury and a lack of depth, their current starting corners are Bashaud Breeland and David Amerson. Breeland is a rookie and Amerson is in his 2nd season with the team. They have a lot to learn in pass coverage, but both have shown the ability to grow into solid starters.

Washington’s corners are extremely young, but the same cannot be said about their safeties. While Brandon Meriweather and Ryan Clark bring experience to the secondary, they are nothing more than placeholders at this point and offer the team very little in the long run. The team should strongly consider drafting a safety early in the NFL draft.

They should also target offensive linemen. Their offensive line is currently one of the worst in the league, as they have allowed their quarterbacks to be sacked a total of 39 times so far this season.

In the NFL, an offensive line is vital to success. Adding productive players to a line that already sports Trent Williams would go a long way for the Redskins. A clean pocket would reduce sacks and help the playmakers on the offensive side of the ball be more productive.

If Harbaugh vacates San Francisco and elects to sign with Washington, he would possess a high draft pick and a solid group of players to build around. After this season, Jay Gruden will have 4 years remaining on his 5-year, fully guaranteed deal. A one-and-done campaign for Gruden would certainly be costly for Washington. But cost has never been a problem for Daniel Snyder and the Washington Redskins before. If Snyder wants Harbaugh, the price tag won’t be the thing that keeps him out of Washington.

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