According to Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic, after a several-month search, the Washington Commanders have hired as the franchise’s new Senior Director of Player Health and Performance. Kaplan last worked with the Houston Texans from 2009-2025, serving in various positions within the training staff, most recently as the franchise’s Executive Director of Player Health. Before joining the Texans, Kaplan worked for the Tennessee Titans/Houston Oilers from 1995 to 2009. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Bachelor’s degree in Physical Therapy/Therapist.
The Commanders hired Geoff Kaplan as their new senior director of player health and performance. He takes the place of Tim McGrath, who had the same title the last 2 seasons.
Kaplan was with the Texans from 2009-25, most recently as their executive director of player health.
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) June 8, 2026
Kaplan’s LinkedIn page says, “With over 30 years at the forefront of NFL sports medicine and performance, I have built and led multidisciplinary health and performance teams that set new standards for player care, innovation, and competitive readiness, always guided by one mission: optimizing athlete health, performance, and longevity while building the people, programs, and systems that make it sustainable.”
Kaplan replaces Tim McGrath, who stepped down following the season. McGrath had held the position since 2024. The team had been looking for a replacement for several months and added someone with over three decades of NFL experience to the position.
Kaplan’s LinkedIn page goes on to say, “Twice named to the NFL Athletic Training Staff of the Year, I have pioneered evidence-based innovations that became industry-wide standards, including the first NFL use of Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) rehabilitation and trigger point dry needling, the development of performance-forecasting databases, and the integration of full-time mental health programs into daily operations.”
Commanders announce 2026 Nunn-Wooten scouting fellows
In other news, the Commanders named Marco Ingelmo and Janice Pettyjohn as the team’s 2026 Nunn-Wooten scouting fellows today. Igelmo is currently a scouting assistant for Columbia University’s football program, and Pettyjohn is the director of player personnel & on-campus recruiting for Howard University’s athletics department.
According to the team’s blog, the Nunn-Wooten Scouting Fellowship, founded in 2015, provides interested and qualified candidates with a path to a career in professional scouting. It was named in honor of Bill Nunn, a longtime personnel director for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and John Wooten, a former NFL player and front-office executive who is part of the NFL’s Football Development program under NFL Football Operations.
Sign up for our free newsletter and follow the Burgundy & Gold on Facebook and Philip Hughes on X for the latest news. You can also subscribe to our Facebook Messenger News Channel, which is the fastest and easiest way to actually see our articles while on any Meta product.
Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow
#Washington #Hires #Geoff #Kaplan #Announces #Scouting #Fellows