Report: Commanders hiring 49ers assistant HC Anthony Lynn to their offensive staff

The Washington Commanders are hiring Anthony Lynn to their offensive staff to work under new head coach Dan Quinn, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

Lynn, 55, will serve as the team’s run-game coordinator. He spent the last two seasons on the San Francisco 49ers’ staff, serving as the team’s assistant head coach and running backs coach. Lynn’s NFL coaching career began at the turn of the century and over that time, he’s become one of the more respected coaches in the league.

He got his first crack at being a head coach in 2017 with the Los Angeles Chargers, a position he held until 2020. Los Angeles went 33-31 under Lynn, making the playoffs in 2018.

Anthony Lynn tasked with improving Washington’s rushing attack

San Francisco had one of the most potent rushing attacks in the NFL over the last two seasons, finishing eighth in 2022 and third in 2023. Much of that production came from running back Christian McCaffrey, who led the league with 1,459 yards this past season.

While Washington doesn’t currently have an upper-echelon tailback on its roster, Brian Robinson took strides this past season, his second in the NFL. Robinson rushed for 733 yards and five touchdowns on 4.1 yards per carry. He added 368 yards and four scores through the air. Overall, the Commanders finished 27th in the league in rushing.

That has to improve, and with Lynn and new offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury now controlling things, Washington has the pieces in place to get that done. Of course, upgrading an offensive line which struggled this past season is paramount as well. Pelissero reported Monday that former New York Giants offensive line coach Bobby Johnson is coming over to Washington in the same role as Quinn continues to fill out his staff.