We don't yet know what the Washington Commanders' defense will look like with Daronte Jones as their play caller on that side of the ball, but we can get a glimpse at some of his philosophies on coaching and teaching his players.
Jones has been coaching for the last 25 years, and he has picked up plenty of knowledge along the way from defensive minds like Lou Anarumo, Vance Joseph and Brian Flores. They have helped him craft his own style, which will be put to the test as an NFL play caller for the first time as he tries to improve the Commanders and their defensive struggles from 2025.
Here are a few quotes about how he views his responsibilities as a coach and what could be in store for Washington during his tenure.
"I always tell the players everyone will be treated fairly ... By human nature, everyone wants to feel important or appreciated," he added. "So with that, you tap into getting to know that person as an individual, find out what their goals are, what their 'why' is, and try to help them achieve that."
"It's all about the ball. We try to tackle at the level of the ball. We attack the ball. "I always tell players -- especially defensive backs -- they all want to get paid. Well, you're not getting paid if you don't touch the ball, whether it's forcing fumbles or creating interceptions, you get paid at this level by touching the football."
"It starts with attitude in your approach and at the end of the day this is a violent sport. You have to approach it that way. You have to be mentally tough, physically tough and emotionally tough. Everything that comes with this sport is about toughness. We want to put that into our guys so that they know they have to win a one-on-one battle."
"Some players learn best watching film, some players learn best in walkthroughs, some players actually have to do it several times to get it. So when you're installing a defense, you want to incorporate every type of learning style."
"We like to joke that he doesn't live in the box. His thought process sometimes can be so out there that it's kind of like a mad scientist. I just admire that because it takes courage to do those things. It takes courage to not be among the norm, to do things your way, to have your vision regardless of how crazy it may sound."
"Knowledgeable. He's detailed. He's a coach with energy and passion that tries to get the most out of his players," Jones said. "He's got a lot of experience. Being with three different head coaches, he's seen some different things and schemes."
"Whatever our guys do best is what we're gonna try to feature and at the end of the day 4-3, 3-4, it's just numbers. You still have to have some gap integrity, but our goal is just to put guys in the best position we see fit that allows them to execute."
"I definitely took the long way, but you know what, things happen for a reason, and I think that was the best thing for me and my career. It allowed me to be in places and meet with people from all different types of backgrounds. East coast, west coast, coaching in the South, coaching in the Midwest, high school, Division I, Division II, Division III, and even coaching in two professional leagues with the CFL and NFL. You come across all different types of backgrounds, and you gotta find a way to meet people where they are. And with that, every person that you meet is a part of the experiences that you can use in terms of connecting with them and bringing them to getting to their highest point in their career, wherever they may be."
"If you were strong enough to withstand the challenges of our practice field at that time. It was different. It's not what they have now. We had nails and screws and rocks. We used to joke about how the field had a hump on it. The track was cement. Those times, those experiences at Morgan, although a current player may look back and say 'How did you even do that,' what we had was better than those that were before us. They helped build character. My time at Morgan helped build my character and helped me to push and see things through."
"Players first, Scheme second. Minimize errors, make sure we're over-communicating, have an attacking style defense where we can dictate the terms and play fast."
"The biggest thing we want to do...is do everything as violent as possible."
