LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. – The Washington Redskins today announced Scott Turner as the team's offensive coordinator and retained Nate Kaczor as special teams coordinator.
Turner enters his ninth NFL season after serving in a variety of coaching roles with the Carolina Panthers (2018-19, 2011-12), Minnesota Vikings (2014-16) and Cleveland Browns (2013). In 2019, Turner was promoted to Carolina's interim offensive coordinator following Week 13.
Serving as Carolina's quarterbacks coach in 2018, Turner helped quarterback Cam Newton post a 67.9 completion percentage, the highest of any player in Panthers' history, despite playing through injury and missing the final two games. Newton set a franchise record by throwing for at least two touchdown passes in 11 consecutive games, while his 94.2 passer rating was third-best in franchise history.
The Panthers finished 10th in the NFL in net yards (373.3), the second-highest season average in franchise history. Carolina finished the season with a franchise record for most completions in a single season with 378.
Prior to re-joining Carolina, Turner served as the University of Michigan's senior offensive analyst in 2017. The Wolverines went 8-5 and advanced to the Outback Bowl, while the offense featured three running backs who averaged 5.0 yards per carry or better and the team rushed for more than 2,000 yards for the third consecutive season.
Before his time with Michigan, Turner worked as the quarterbacks coach for the Minnesota Vikings from 2014-16. In 2016, Turner helped quarterback Sam Bradford set a then-NFL record in completion percentage (71.6) and guided him to Vikings records in single-season completions (395), interception percentage (0.9; five in 552 attempts) and single-season completion percentage (71.6). Bradford notched the fourth-highest passer rating in Vikings history with a career-best 99.3.
In 2014 and 2015, Turner worked with first-round draft choice Teddy Bridgewater. In 2015, Bridgewater was selected to his first Pro Bowl in his second season in the NFL and his first as a full-time starter. Bridgewater, who led the team to its first NFC North championship since 2009, bumped his passer rating up from 85.2 to 88.7 and threw three fewer interceptions while playing in three more contests than his initial season. He finished with 3,231 yards passing and 14 passing touchdowns, while rushing for three touchdowns.
In 2014, Turner helped Bridgewater to the best season for a rookie quarterback in Vikings history, setting virtually every franchise rookie passing record and producing the third-best completion percentage (64.6) and the seventh-highest passer rating (85.2) in NFL history for a rookie. In Bridgewater's first career start vs. Atlanta in Week 4, the rookie threw for a season-best 317 yards and helped the offense pile up 558 net yards, the fourth-most in team history, in a 41-28 win. In 2013,
Turner coached wide receivers for the Cleveland Browns, helping Josh Gordon to the best receiving season in Browns history. Despite appearing in just 14 games, he became the first player in Browns history to lead the NFL in receiving yards (1,646) and became the first player in NFL history with back-to-back 200-yard receiving games.
Turner entered NFL coaching with two seasons as offensive quality control coach for the Panthers in 2011 and 2012. The Panthers recorded two of the top four seasons in franchise history in terms of net yards, setting the all-time mark with 389.8 yards per game in 2011 and 360.7 in 2012. Newton was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2011. His 14 rushing touchdowns broke the NFL record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback and were just one shy of the NFL record of rushing touchdowns by a rookie.
Prior to Turner's first stint in Carolina, he spent three seasons at the University of Pittsburgh, two as an offensive assistant and the last as wide receivers coach. Turner made his coaching debut in 2005 as a graduate assistant at Oregon State before serving as the offensive coordinator at South County (Va.) Secondary School from 2006-07.
A three-year letterman at Nevada-Las Vegas from 2002-04, Turner graduated with a degree in psychology. He served as a reserve quarterback for the Rebels as a junior and senior and played on special teams as a sophomore after being redshirted as a freshman. He earned his college degree in psychology from UNLV in 2006.
Turner is the son of former Redskins head coach, Norv Turner. Norv Turner previously coached alongside his son in Carolina from 2018-19, in Minnesota from 2014-16 and in Cleveland in 2013.
Kaczor is entering his second season as the Redskins special teams coordinator. In 2019, Kaczor helped guide punter Tress Way to his first Pro Bowl selection. Way was also named to the Associated Press All-Pro Second Team. Way finished the season No. 2 in net average (44.1) and No. 2 in punt yardage (3,919) and No. 7 in punts inside the 20 yard line (30). Under Kaczor's guidance the Redskins ranked No. 4 in the league in kickoff return average (25.2) and No. 5 in kickoff return yardage (833) despite fielding one of the league's youngest rosters.
Under Kaczor's guidance, Tress Way became the first Redskins punter since Matt Turk in 1997 to be named to the Pro Bowl. Steven Sims Jr. (NFC Special Teams Player of the Week in Week 12) and Tress Way (NFC Special Teams Player of the Week in Week 13) were also the first Redskins in the history of the franchise to receive the honor of NFC Special Teams Player of the Week in consecutive weeks.
Prior to joining the Redskins, he spent 2016-18 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as special teams coordinator. Kaczor has spent the remainder of his NFL career in various coaching capacities with the Tennessee Titans and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Before assuming the role of special teams coordinator with the Buccaneers in 2016, he was the special teams coordinator with the Titans (2013-15) and assisted with the Jaguars special teams unit (2008-11).
In his first year with Tampa Bay, Kaczor worked with punter Bryan Anger, who set Buccaneers records for both punts inside the 20 (37) and net punting average (42.7), with both of those ranking in the top five in the NFL in 2016. Anger and Josh Robinson were key members of a punt coverage unit that ranked fourth in the NFL in punt return average allowed, limiting opponents to just 5.3 yards per punt return. Robinson led Tampa Bay with 12 solo special teams tackles, tied for the third-most in the NFL that season
Kaczor joined Tampa Bay after spending four seasons with the Tennessee Titans, the final three as the team's special teams coordinator (2013-15) after being hired as the assistant offensive line coach in his first season (2012). In 2015, the Titans tied for the NFL lead in special teams takeaways, while in 2013 Kaczor's unit ranked third in the league in opponent punt return average and eighth in kickoff return average.
In three seasons under Kaczor, Titans punter Brett Kern tied for the third-most punts inside the 20 (94) in the NFL. In 2015, despite punting 88 times, Kern saw only one touchback on the year. In 2014, Kern posted a net average of 40.8, a career best and a Titans franchise record. Kaczor also worked with kicker Ryan Succop, who set a career high in field goal percentage in 2015 (87.5), surpassing the career best he had established the season before.
Kaczor entered the NFL as an assistant special teams coach with the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2008-11. During those four years, Jacksonville had one of the league's top special teams coverage units, allowing the lowest punt return average in the NFL (6.5 avg.) and the eighth-lowest kickoff return average (21.8 avg.). In each of Kaczor's final two seasons, Montell Owens earned Pro Bowl recognition as a special teams player.
TURNER FOOTBALL TIMELINE
2020: Offensive Coordinator, Washington Redskins
2018-19: Quarterbacks Coach/Interim Offensive Coordinator (Wks: 14-17), Carolina Panthers
2017: Offensive Analyst, University of Michigan
2014-16: Quarterbacks Coach, Minnesota Vikings
2013: Wide Receivers Coach, Cleveland Browns
2011-12: Offensive Quality Control, Carolina Panthers
2008-10: Offensive Assistant, University of Pittsburgh
2005: Graduate Assistant, Oregon State University
2002-04: Quarterback, UNLV
KACZOR FOOTBALL TIMELINE
2019-2020: Special Teams Coordinator, Washington Redskins
2016-18: Special Teams Coordinator, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2013-15: Special Teams Coordinator, Tennessee Titans
2012: Assistant Offensive Line Coach, Tennessee Titans
2008-11: Assistant Special Teams Coach, Jacksonville Jaguars
2007: Co-Offensive Coordinator, Louisiana-Monroe
2006: Tight Ends Coach, Louisiana-Monroe
2004-05: Co-Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends Coach, Idaho
2000-03: Nebraska-Kearney, Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach
1991-99: Offensive Assistant, Utah State
1987-89: Center, Utah State
