Jay Gruden has been named head coach of the Washington Redskins, replacing the fired Mike Shanahan, according to ESPN.
Gruden was scheduled to meet with the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday about their coaching vacancy, but canceled the meeting after coming to terms with the Redskins, who are expected to formally introduce him during a press conference later in the day.
Gruden becomes the sixth coach hired by owner Dan Snyder in the last 15 years he has owned the team. None of his previous hires have survived more than four seasons.
Billed as an offensive guru, Gruden's first order of business would seem to be getting on the same page with star quarterback Robert Griffin III. Shanahan largely fell out of favor in Washington after feuding with the second -year quarterback over the way the team was running its offense.
After going 10-6 in Griffin's rookie season, the Redskins struggled to 3-13 this season with Griffin sitting out the team's final three games.
Gruden served as offensive coordinator for Cincinnati the past three seasons, with the team making the postseason each year. Gruden also earned praise for his work with quarterback Andy Dalton, who threw for more than 3,000 yards in each of those years.
In that time, the Bengals also improved in points per game going from 18th to 12th to 6th. They were the NFL's No. 10th-ranked offense in total yards in 2013.
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