Redskins might luck into Marvin Lewis as an ideal fit

NFL teams will have some interest in Marvin Lewis, but could the Washington Redskins have fortune smile on them?

After being fired by the Cincinnati Bengals after last season, Marvin Lewis spent this season as a special advisor to Herm Edwards at Arizona State. But he’s sure to be a candidate for NFL head coaching openings, and according to Alex Marvez of Sirius XM NFL Radio Lewis is a strong contender for the Washington Redskins’ job.

Marvez added that Lewis may have already been interviewed by Redskins’ owner Dan Snyder in the Bahamas.

Lewis of course spent 16 seasons as the Bengals’ head coach (2003-2018), with a 131-122-3 record. A dismal 0-7 playoff record is noteworthy, and a strike on his resume. But simply leading the Bengals to the postseason that many times (five straight times from 2011-2015) and winning four division titles, given the history of that franchise for many years prior to his coming in as coach, stands as an accomplishment.

Prior to taking the job in Cincinnati, Lewis spent the 2002 season under Steve Spurrier as the Redskins’ defensive coordinator and associate head coach. So he has that connection to Washington, for whatever it might be worth, as Snyder tries to find a head coach willing to work for him.

Mike Brown is a different kind of difficult-to-work-for owner than Snyder is, with the Bengals routinely not even having a full complement of scouts as they had assistant coaches fill that staff gap. But the Redskins are also quite moribund, with scant success since Snyder bought the team in 1999 and no playoff wins since 2005. This year will be the sixth time in the last seven seasons Washington will miss the playoffs, and stretching back a little more they’ve missed the playoffs in 10 of the last 12 seasons.

Lewis has seemed hesitant to return to the NFL, if he ever returns to coaching at all. But perhaps the Redskins can persuade him to take a second run at turning around a struggling franchise.