| Washington Commanders | |
|---|---|
| Title | Quarterbacks coach |
| Personal information | |
| Born | Zachary, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Listed weight | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Tampa Catholic (Tampa, Florida) |
| College | Grambling State (2011–2014) |
| Position | Quarterback, No. 4 |
| Career history | |
| |
Doug "D. J."Williams Jr. is an American professionalfootball coach and formerAmerican footballquarterback who is thequarterbacks coach for theWashington Commanders of theNational Football League (NFL). Williams played college football for theGrambling State Tigers.
Williams was born to Lataunya and former NFL quarterbackDoug Williams, the latter of whom was aSuper Bowl MVP in 1987.[1][2] Williams first attendedTampa Catholic High School inTampa, Florida, where he played football.[3] He then transferred toHargrave Military Academy inChatham, Virginia before the 2010 season.[4] Williams continued his football career for theGrambling State Tigers, where he emerged as the starting quarterback under his father, who was the head coach.[5] In his first year at Grambling State, Williams led the team to winning theSWAC Football Championship Game overAlabama A&M in 2011.[6] Williams began struggling as quarterback in 2013, causing him to temporarily lose his starting job with team struggles culminating in his father being fired.[7][8] Williams college career was ended in October during the 2014 season after he required surgery on hisACL.[7]
After going undrafted in the2015 NFL draft, Williams participated in tryouts with thePittsburgh Steelers andBaltimore Ravens but was unable to land a spot on either team's rosters.[7][9] Williams began his coaching career assisting theNew Orleans Saints during training camp in 2017 and working in the team's coaches and football operations department in 2018.[10] In 2019, Williams became an offensive assistant for the Saints, a role he would hold until 2023.[10] While with the Saints, Williams joined the coaching staff for theSenior Bowl.[11] In 2024, Williams joined theAtlanta Falcons as an offensive analyst, specifically taking on a role as the assistant quarterbacks coach.[12] Williams would be promoted in 2025 to the role of primary quarterbacks coach.[13] During the season, Williams defended his relationship with quarterbackMichael Penix Jr. as positive after a press conference in which Penix did not attribute any internal support of his performance to his coaches.[14]
On January 14, 2026, Williams joined theWashington Commanders as their quarterbacks coach.[15]
