The Washington Commanders’ front-office makeover continues.
Washington is expected to hire Baltimore Ravens director of college scouting David Blackburn as director of player personnel, sources familiar with the situation told The Athletic. The Commanders previously chose not to retain senior director of player personnel Eric Stokes, according to league and team sources.
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Washington’s director of pro personnel Chris Polian is leaving for an unspecified front office position with the Cleveland Browns, multiple sources told The Athletic.
The Commanders also announced on Monday the hiring of Detroit Lions senior director of football administration Brandon Sosna as senior VP of football operations. Sosna, 31, will report to general manager Adam Peters, be the organization’s lead contract negotiator, and play a significant role in the salary
Sosna joined Detroit in 2022 after working at USC. Former Philadelphia Eagles VP of football administration Jake Rosenberg also interviewed for the role.
“Brandon was a key addition to (Lions GM) Brad Holmes’ staff in 2022 and played a vital role in assisting the Lions in their roster construction these past two seasons,” Peters said in a press release. “His expertise on the salary cap and in contract negotiations along with his well-rounded skillset developed through his unique career across the NFL and collegiate athletics makes him a great fit for the front office we are building here in Washington.”
Staff movement is common following the draft, but it becomes more likely with new people in charge. The hiring of Peters and assistant GM Lance Newmark in January set the stage for these changes, including movement in the scouting department.
“I would say that we found out a lot about the process,” Peters said ahead of last month’s NFL draft. “And it’ll really be good to implement all the things we learned from what was existing here, what Lance did in Detroit, and what I did in San Francisco, and blend all that together as we move forward for the next, and just make every year even better.”
The Athletic reported on Saturday Washington’s interest in Sosna and Blackburn. Baltimore promoted the up-and-comer to director of college scouting in 2022, following two years as a national scout. Blackburn joined the Ravens organization in 2007 as a player personnel assistant and spent seven years as a West area scout.
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Stokes came to Washington in 2020 under ex-Commanders head coach Ron Rivera after previously working with the Carolina Panthers. The future of other football executives was part of discussions with league sources throughout the offseason. Polian, the former Indianapolis Colts GM, arrived as Washington’s director of pro personnel in 2021. Polian’s move to Cleveland reunites him with Browns GM Andrew Berry, with whom he had worked in the Colts’ scouting department.
Senior VP of football administration Rob Rogers, whose responsibilities overlap with Sosna’s, and director of college scouting Tim Gribble are also holdovers from the prior staff.
League sources confirmed to The Athletic that national scout David Whittington is leaving the organization to become assistant director of college scouting for Carolina, Commanders’ college scout Harrison Ritcher is joining the Atlanta Falcons as a national scout, and San Francisco 49ers scout Jack Quagliarello is headed to Washington as a pro scout.
The Athletic previously reported that, in addition to Stokes, Washington would not renew the contract of senior director of player development Malcolm Blacken. Peters retained Martin Mayhew, a former 49ers front office colleague and Washington’s GM from 2021 to 2023, as senior personnel executive and advisor to the GM. In April, the Commanders hired Dave Gardi away from the league office as the team’s senior vice president of football initiatives. Gardi held the role of NFL’s senior vice president of football operations for 10 years.
Commanders staff news:
Senior Director of Player Development Malcolm Blacken will not be returning to the organization, per source.His contract will not be renewed. Has been with the organization over multiple iterations starting in 1999.— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) May 13, 2024
Quagliarello completed one season with San Francisco under Peters as a scouting assistant after a year in Northwestern’s recruiting department. He previously served as a football intern for the New York Jets and the Colts. Whittington completed his 15th season with Washington in 2023. Ritcher originally joined Washington in 2017.
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Washington completed a hectic transactional offseason with nine selections in the 2024 NFL draft, headlined by Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels with the No. 2 selection. With the Commanders coming off a 4-13 season, Peters and his staff signed over 20 free agents, including linebackers Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu, running back Austin Ekeler, center Tyler Biadasz and quarterback Marcus Mariota.
The GM cited contributions from the entire staff, including head coach Dan Quinn and his assistants, throughout the process.
“We’ve really done a lot in a short amount of time in terms of where we need to be,” Peters said at the league meetings in March. “We have some great pieces in place. We have a great coaching staff. Personnel staff’s been awesome. So, so far so good. I’ve been really, really excited to work with everybody. It’s been awesome.”
— The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec contributed to this report.
(Photo: Scott Taetsch / Getty Images)
