Marvin Lewis was with Washington for only the 2002 season; however, he has a very important connection to a new Commanders‘ coach.

Current Commanders defensive coordinator Daronte Jones was recommended to Lewis when Lewis was the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals.

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“Daronte got recommended to me, so we brought him in for an interview (2018). I had my sight set on hiring another coach, but he blew me away in the interview.”

Lewis told Ben Standig on Standig’s “Last Man Standig” podcast that Lewis then had to talk Jones into coming to Cincinnati, having thought he would rather go the college route. Lewis then said that two years later, he (Lewis) was talking to Mike Zimmer. Zimmer was not satisfied with the candidates he’d interviewed to coach his corners. Lewis told Zimmer, “You need to talk to Daronte Jones, whom I had on my staff. They brought Jones in and hired him on the spot,” Lewis said.

“His knowledge of the game was impressive. His organization in the interview, how prepared he came in for the interview, really took me back. How much did Jones impress his then head coach Lewis? Well, Lewis told Standig, that he and Jones still keep in touch. Keep in mind, Lewis and Jones only worked together that one NFL season of 2018, yet they still keep in touch.

Lewis is happy for Jones to get his first shot at being an NFL defensive coordinator. Lewis also feels that Commanders GM Adam Peters did a fine job in free agency, obtaining some new mobile personnel that will help Jones design his defensive packages.

When Standig asked Lewis regarding Brian Flores (Vikings DC) defensive alignment, whether it is a 3-4 or 4-3, Lewis didn’t hesitate to reply that “They morph back and forth, which puts pressure on the offense. Lewis is certain Flores learned this from Bill Belichick when on Belichick’s staff (Patriots).

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Lewis said in a meeting two years ago that he learned some of the principles of Flores’ defense and thought it was a creative, innovative defensive scheme. Lewis also feels that Dan Quinn moving away from his own defensive scheme, in favor of Jones’ new scheme, which he will bring to Washington, also allows Quinn to be more of a head coach, not still holding on to his own defense or his defensive coordinator, Joe Whitt.

Yes, Jones and Lewis might have only been together the one season of 2018 in Cincinnati, but that has not stopped Lewis from being impressed with Jones, and believing in Jones ability to continue to grow and develop in his coaching defense. If Lewis is correct, perhaps the Commanders might have found a maturing coach in Jones who will continue to grow nicely into his new role as an NFL defensive coordinator.

This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Marvin Lewis is a big fan of Daronte Jones