The Washington Commanders have announced a series of hires and promotions across their personnel, player health and performance, and football operations departments as the organization continues to build out its support structure ahead of the 2026 NFL season.
Among the most notable additions is Ryan Kessenich, who has been named Director of College Scouting. The Commanders also added Alberto de la Guardia and Miles Turner as Area Scouts, while Andrew Dowell and John Waters join the organization as Scouting Assistants. Toby Junker was named Scouting and R&D Assistant, and Keenan Guthrie joins as a Scouting Associate.
The player health and performance department also saw several additions. Geoff Kaplan was officially named Senior Director of Player Health & Performance, bringing more than three decades of NFL experience after spending the last 17 years with the Houston Texans organization. Kaplan replaces Tim McGrath, who departed following the 2025 season.
Joining Kaplan’s group are Jon Dignazio as Assistant Athletic Trainer/Physical Therapist, Nick Farrell as Director of Performance Nutrition, and Tanner Boro as Performance Dietitian.
The Commanders also expanded their football operations and analytics departments. Bryan Porter was named Senior Director of Football Operations, while Gayatri Nambiar joins as Senior Football Solutions Developer and Preston Biro as Senior Football Data Scientist. Casesse Basaraba was hired as a Video Assistant, Justin Feinstein as Equipment Assistant, and Sam Walsh as Football Operations Assistant.
