Washington quarterbacks coach Matt Cavanaugh works with quarterback Kirk Cousins, right, on a ball protection drill during practice at the team’s training facility in Ashburn, Va. (Evan Vucci / AP, 2016)
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By
Andy Yamashita
Seattle Times staff reporter
Just under a month from the start of spring practices, Washington has added a significant piece to its football coaching staff.
Matt Cavanaugh, a longtime NFL assistant who spent stints as an offensive coordinator with the Chicago Bears, Baltimore Ravens and Washington Commanders, is reportedly finalizing a deal to join Jedd Fisch’s coaching staff at UW as a senior offensive assistant, according to On3’s Pete Nakos.
Cavanaugh, who helped guide the Ravens to a 2001 Super Bowl win, hasn’t held a football position since the 2021 NFL season when he was a senior offensive assistant with the New York Jets.
Adding Cavanaugh to UW’s staff partially addresses the vacancy created by former offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Jimmie Dougherty’s departure on Feb. 17. Fisch, speaking on On3’s “Andy & Ari” podcast, said he was not planning to hire a new offensive coordinator following Dougherty’s exit and was instead looking for a senior assistant to help with game planning.
Fisch, who will continue to call plays for the offense, said he was searching for a veteran coach with experience outside of his coaching staff to provide fresh perspectives on offensive game planning. Dougherty had been with Fisch since the 2021 season at Arizona.
Cavanaugh and Fisch briefly overlapped with the Ravens in 2004. Cavanaugh’s last year of a six-season stint with Baltimore and the first of three seasons Fisch spent with the Ravens as an offensive assistant.
This will mark Cavanaugh’s first return to college football since 2008, when he was the offensive coordinator at his alma mater Pittsburgh on Dave Wannstedt’s staff. Cavanaugh was a standout quarterback for the Panthers and coach Johnny Majors, helping them win the 1976 national championship with an undefeated record alongside running back Tony Dorsett, the 1976 Heisman Trophy winner.
Cavanaugh spent a majority of his 14-year NFL career as a backup, but won the 1985 Super Bowl with the San Francisco 49ers and the 1991 Super Bowl with the New York Giants.
After starting his coaching career at Pitt, Cavanaugh jumped to the NFL in 1994 as the quarterbacks coach for the Arizona Cardinals and coach Buddy Ryan. He spent one season in the same position with the 49ers on George Seifert’s staff in 1996 before becoming the offensive coordinator for Wannstedt’s Chicago Bears in 1997.
Cavanaugh joined Brian Billick’s staff in Baltimore as the offensive coordinator in 1999, enjoying his most successful stint as a coach to date. In 2000, the Ravens leaned heavily on rookie running back Jamal Lewis, an offensive line anchored by first-team All-Pro left tackle Jonathan Ogden and tight end Shannon Sharpe while Cavanaugh helped Billick navigate a quarterback transition from Tony Banks to Trent Dilfer. The Ravens crushed the Giants 34-7 to win the franchise’s first Super Bowl.
Cavanaugh departed after the 2004 season and returned to Pitt for his second stint, reuniting with Wannstedt in 2005. Cavanaugh reappeared in the NFL in 2009 as the quarterbacks coach for the New York Jets on Rex Ryan’s staff, then joined the Chicago Bears for the same role on coach Lovie Smith’s staff in 2013.
Starting in 2015, Cavanaugh worked in a variety of roles for the Commanders, including quarterbacks coach, offensive coordinator and senior offensive assistant under Jay Gruden. After not holding a job during the COVID-19 impacted 2020 season, Cavanaugh joined Robert Saleh’s staff as a senior offensive assistant in 2021 but did not return for a second season.
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Cavanaugh’s role with Washington will be interesting. Fisch previously stated J.P. Losman, who spent the past season as an offensive quality control coach, has been promoted to quarterbacks coach to replace Dougherty in that capacity.
And Fisch has never operated without an official offensive coordinator during his five seasons leading a program. Brennan Carroll held the title for all three seasons they worked together at Arizona, and continued in the role at UW in 2024 before departing to join his father Pete Carroll with the Las Vegas Raiders. Dougherty added the title in 2025 before exiting, and was the most prominent assistant in the booth for Washington in 2024 and 2025.
But just having the title doesn’t necessarily explain the influence on the offense. Fisch has always maintained he will call the plays, and consistently pushed back against questions about delegating those responsibilities.
Cavanaugh may be suited for this opportunity especially after working with a coach like Billick, who was a successful offensive play-caller in his own right.
But other questions remain, too. Cavanaugh hasn’t held any notable NFL or collegiate positions since 2021, when he helped oversee Zach Wilson’s underwhelming rookie season.
Can the 69-year-old coach connect with the college players on UW’s roster, particularly junior quarterback Demond Williams Jr.? Does he have the answers to help a Husky offense that enjoyed a productive 2025 campaign but struggled mightily against the top defenses on its schedule?
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Those questions won’t be answered for several months. But Fisch now has another piece of his offensive staff in place for the ramp up to spring practices.
Andy Yamashita: ayamashita@seattletimes.com. Andy Yamashita is a sports reporter at The Seattle Times, primarily covering Washington Huskies football.
