Doug Williams sat in his office with Dan Quinn across from him. The Washington Commanders' head coach had a request, and he went with the straightforward approach to get it.

"He said, 'Look, we've got a good relationship,'" Williams recalled Quinn telling him during the meeting. "We've got a good friendship. I don't want to do anything to mess that one up.'"

Then came the ask: if Williams didn't mind, he would love to interview his son, DJ Williams, for an opportunity to be the Commanders' new quarterbacks coach. He gave Quinn his blessing. He had no concerns about it affecting their friendship, because regardless of how things turned out, he felt that DJ deserved a chance to be in the running.

Hours later, Williams was at his computer after attending Ted White's introductory press conference as Howard's head football coach when Quinn paid him a second visit. He came with an announcement instead of a request this time: DJ was going to be their quarterbacks coach.

"I got up, and I hugged Dan," Williams said. "It was kind of an emotional situation for me."

DJ Williams was certainly qualified for the position. He's had a quick rise since joining the NFL coaching ranks in 2019 as an offensive assistant for the New Orleans Saints. He's been on the job in Washington for about six months and already gotten rave reviews from the Commanders' quarterbacks. But that's only part of the reason Doug is thrilled to have him working across the hall. He's just happy to see more of his son, and being coworkers is the newest knot to what was already a tight bond between them.

"My dad's my best friend," DJ said. "He raised me from a young pup. He's a single father, and so it's awesome to be here with him and see him every day."

"I thought he was the coolest dad in the world."

It's probably not a surprise that there's a short supply of non-football memories from DJ's childhood. Doug had retired in 1989, but he remained synonymous with the sport. He's been either a coach or member of a front office for the last 35 years, the last 12 of which have been with Washington in a mixture of roles from a personnel executive to his current role as the senior advisor to general manager Adam Peters.

DJ was Doug's shadow for most of that time. Doug and DJ's mother got divorced when he was 7 years old, and from that point on, he lived with his father. No matter where Doug was, DJ wasn't far behind him. He was on the sideline for every game during Doug's first stint as Grambling State's head coach. He traveled with the team, got Doug water during games and even taped up his shoes like he was one of the players. It got to the point where people would ask why DJ wasn't with him on the rare occasion he was off doing something else.

But DJ said football wasn't really his first love. It was actually basketball, which was fine with Doug. He didn't want to push his son into anything, and if he wanted to play a different sport, he would do whatever he could to make that happen. He signed DJ up with an AAU team in New Orleans, and the two would fly there from Florida on weekends for his games.

The real football itch didn't start for DJ until about the eighth grade, when Doug was a personnel executive for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. DJ was at work with Doug almost every day and became "a member of that team," according to Doug. He spent most of his time sitting in Doug's office, which is when Doug started to suggest that maybe he should sit in on some of the team meetings while he was working.

"I said, 'Go sit in the meeting, man. You'll learn a lot,'" Williams recalled telling DJ.

DJ eventually did go to then-head coach Jon Gruden's meetings, and his interest in football grew from there. Of course, he wanted to play quarterback like his dad, and the two would practice dropping back and fine tuning his footwork after practice. DJ was hooked by the ninth grade, and he joined Tampa Catholic High School as a quarterback and wide receiver.

Now, the roles were reversed with DJ on the field and Doug on the sideline, but DJ still had his eyes on his dad.

"I remember one day, he caught a long TD pass...and instead of going straight, he was looking at me," Doug said with a laugh. "And then he ended up in the end zone. It was just a joy watching him grow up."

It wasn't all about football, though. There was still time for Doug and DJ to make some memories off the field. One of DJ's favorites was attending an Orlando Magic game with his dad when he was about 13 years old. They were sitting close to the court when then-Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Paul Silas, who was a big fan of Doug's, pointed them out and invited them to the locker room. DJ got to sit at LeBron James' locker for a few minutes. Then James himself showed up, and Doug said DJ "completely froze."

"LeBron came out and he [DJ] jumped up," Doug said. "But LeBron said, 'Nah, man, go on and sit there.' That was a cool moment for him."

"I thought he was the coolest dad in the world after that," DJ said with a smile.

"He loved every minute of it."

It was time for DJ to begin his college career, and he had a few options with teams like Alabama State, Southern and Western Carolina all showing interest in him. He ended up committing to Grambling State, where his father had carved out a legacy as one of the best players to suit up for the program.

Doug wasn't the main reason he chose to play for the Tigers. It had more to do with being closer to his family; some of his siblings were living in Louisiana at the time, and playing at Grambling allowed his grandmother to see him play. His mother also lived an hour away in Dallas, so it just made sense for him to be there.

Doug didn't come into the situation until after DJ had committed to Grambling. Doug was coaching the Virginia Destroyers in the United Football League but resigned to take over for the Tigers after former head coach Rod Broadway stepped away from the program and moved on to coach North Carolina A&T.

DJ said there isn't really a difference between Doug the father and Doug the football coach. He was a father figure to several of DJ's former teammates, and some of them still call him for advice. His coaching and parenting styles are the same -- "he's going to be hard on you," DJ said, "but he's gonna be loving as well."

Doug, however, said it was "tough as hell," to be a head coach of a team with a son on the roster. It was obvious to Doug that DJ was the best quarterback on the team, which is why he ended up naming DJ the starter as a freshman. DJ still had to earn that right, though, and Doug didn't make it easy for him.

If anything, DJ felt like his father pushed him harder, and it was noticeable.

"He could tell me more stuff than he could tell another guy," DJ said. "Because I couldn't go do anything ... I got six sisters, so they might get on to him, but other than that, it was like, 'Who are you gonna go tell?'"

Doug wasn't going to give him any special treatment, either. He had another position coach work with DJ and would get regular updates on his son's progress. DJ did eventually ask Doug why he didn't take a more personal approach in coaching him. Williams has decades of experience playing the position, which surely would have been useful for DJ. But as the head coach, Doug had responsibilities to his other players, too, and he couldn't put all his time on his son.

"I look back and I really hate that I didn't spend as much time with him at that position that I could have," Doug said. "But I liked his independence. He wasn't one of those kids that you would've thought was my kid. And everybody always said, 'One thing I'll say about Coach Williams, whether it was his kid or no kid, he was gonna get on everybody's ass.'"

DJ and the Tigers thrived with him at quarterback. Grambling State finished DJ's freshman year with an 8-4 record with DJ throwing 14 touchdowns. DJ had an 80-yard passing score against Alabama A&M in the season finale, helping the Tigers pull out the 16-15 victory and win the SWAC Championship -- just as Doug did during his own college career.

"That was a great day for me and him," Doug said. "You got daddy and the son, both played at the same school, and both of us won a conference championship. That's hard to accomplish. It was a good feeling just to watch him on the field. He loved every minute of it."

"He's a proud dad."

DJ got a call from Doug not long after interviewing with Quinn for the Commanders' quarterbacks coach job. He hadn't discussed the opportunity with his dad yet, but Doug beat him to it. Technically, Williams hadn't accepted the job at that point, but he could understand Doug's excitement.

"He's a proud dad, man," DJ said. "I have kids now, and as a dad as well, I start to understand him more."

Anyone who decides to start a career in the NFL knows the deal they're making when it comes to time commitments. It's a rare opportunity that can help them achieve their childhood dreams, but it means seeing loved ones less often. It's a year-round job with long hours, and time with family members during holidays is a gift rather than an expectation. For most, every job offer is a can't-miss situation, which can involve picking up one's entire life and moving it across the country without a second thought.

Now that they work in the same building, DJ and Doug see each other four times a day instead of four times a year. DJ lived with Doug for a few months after taking the job until he found a house in the area. The quarterback room is across the hall from Doug's office, so DJ will pop in to check up on his father. They have lunch together in the team cafeteria and talk before Doug leaves for the day.

Those are precious moments to DJ that he doesn't take for granted.

"I think that's a blessing," DJ said. "Everybody now is so ambitious. You move away from home, away from your parents, and when you think about it, you don't really have that much time to spend with them ... It used to be where I was in Atlanta or New Orleans, he was here and we would see each other like twice a year. Now, I get to see him every single day."

Another benefit for Doug to have DJ so close: the grandkids. It's easier now than it ever has been for him to take time out of his schedule to see them for a weekend, and it means a lot to DJ that his son and daughter can have a relationship with his father. And for people like Doug and DJ who believe a strong family bond is an important pillar in life, those moments are precious.

"To know that I got blood right here with me," Doug said, "It's a good feeling."