Washington adding longtime NFL assistant Matt Cavanaugh to offensive staff

The University of Washington is finalizing a deal to hire longtime NFL assistant Matt Cavanaugh as a senior offensive assistant, sources tell On3. He will work closely with head coach Jedd Fisch on offensive gameplanning.

Cavanaugh is the former Pitt quarterback who has made stops as the offensive coordinator with the Commanders, Steelers, Ravens and Bears. He was most recently in a quality control assistant role with the Commanders in 2021.

Cavanagh’s last stop in the college game was when he was the offensive coordinator at the University of Pittsburgh for three seasons, until 2008, when he accepted a position as an assistant coach and quarterbacks coach with the New York Jets, under Rex Ryan.

Quality control coach J. P. Losman is being promoted to quarterbacks coach, sources tell On3. He worked closely with the quarterbacks in 2025, mentoring Demond Williams. The former Buffalo Bills quarterback joined the Clemson coaching staff as an analyst following his professional career before joining Oklahoma as a player personnel and football administration assistant in 2022.

The move comes after Washington and offensive coordinator Jimmie Dougherty parted ways last month. Fisch has held offensive playcalling duties the last two seasons and that will carry over into Year 3.

Washington is coming off a 9-4 season in Year 2 under Fisch. The Huskies retained their quarterback in Williams, who unexpectedly entered the transfer portal in January before opting to remain in Seattle. He’s viewed as a Heisman Trophy contender and is coming off a year where he threw for 3,065 yards with 25 touchdowns to eight interceptions.