The NFL head coaching ranks have a new member, as Washington has hired Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden to be their head coach. There were reports that a deal was close, and now, per Adam Schefter and Jeff Darlington, the deal is done.
This is of note to 49ers fans because Washington had requested permission to interview Greg Roman and Vic Fangio. Roman has also been approached by Minnesota, and he already interviewed with Penn State. The Washington job was the only one that seemed to have Fangio on the radar, but obviously that could change quickly.
Other jobs that still remain vacant include the Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions and Tennessee Titans. If you want to track more rumors specific to those jobs, we've got story streams at Daily Norseman, Dawgs by Nature, Pride of Detroit and Music City Miracles. If those teams are interested in any of the 49ers assistants and don't get interviews done by the end of this week, a 49ers win on Sunday would make it a lot more unlikely the teams would end up hiring a 49ers assistant. The time frame requires interviews this week, or not until the season ends. One more reason (albeit infinitely less important) to win this weekend!
As for the Gruden-to-Washington move, it is generally being universally panned at this point. The Bengals offense has some explosive weapons, but something has always seemed to be missing with it. I don't know whether it means he will or won't work in Washington however, because being a head coach is about a lot more than just ones work as a coordinator. I'd give him the benefit of the doubt, but this is also a Dan Snyder hire. And while Dan Snyder is a wealthy man, it doesn't mean he's not also kind of a dufus.