Castillo adds different demeanor, experience to Rivera’s staff

Juan Castillo politely made one thing evident Wednesday when he was introduced as the Commanders’ new tight ends coach: He is not Pete Hoener.

As someone with over 25 years of coaching experience, Castillo noted how he differs from the fiery Hoener, who could often be seen cursing up and down the sideline to motivate his group before retiring last week. 

That said, Castillo says he knows how to push buttons when necessary, too.

“There are times when you might hear a word I probably wouldn’t say around young kids,” Castillo said. 

Castillo’s presence on the sideline may be an adjustment for the Commanders’ tight ends who were used to Hoener. But with Washington, Castillo will undergo an adjustment of his own: His hire marks the first time in 25 years that Castillo will specifically oversee that position. For the majority of his career, Castillo has worked with the offensive line — last serving as a tight ends coach in 1997 for the Philadelphia Eagles.

While getting re-used to the position may take some time, it’s not an entirely new experience for the 62-year-old. During his tenure in Philadelphia, then Eagles coach Andy Reid promoted Castillo to defensive coordinator in 2011 after he’d been their longtime offensive line coach. 

In that case, Castillo hadn’t coached on the defensive side of the ball since 1989. 

“All those things come together,” Castillo said of his experience. “Now the part that has to happen is studying tape for the routes to make sure I can go ahead and take (the players) to another level.”

So how did Castillo, who was let go by the Bears after the 2021 season, land with Washington? His familiarity with Rivera helped. The two overlapped in Philadelphia and Rivera has a tendency to hire coaches he knows.  Many on Rivera’s staff previously coached with him in Carolina. 

Still, Castillo had to interview for the position. He said he received a call from Rivera, who informed Castillo that there might an opportunity to join his staff with the 70-year-old Hoener retiring. Rivera told Castillo to be prepared, Castillo said. 

When Castillo was first a tight ends coach with the Eagles, he said learned a lot from then-offensive coordinator Jon Gruden. Castillo said he was told by Gruden to focus on route running when coaching tight ends. Gruden knew Castillo was already familiar with blocking due to his experience in the trenches, so he wanted Castillo to learn the ins and outs of releases and reading coverages. Castillo said the order “built a heck of a foundation” for him as a coach.

With the Commanders, Castillo appeared excited by the players he’ll be coaching. He raved over the way that Logan Thomas had improved since their days together in Buffalo, when Thomas had just switched to tight end from quarterback and Castillo coached on the offensive line. 

Castillo praised fourth-rounder John Bates’ growth as a rookie and lit up when recalling his conversation in Spanish with Sammis Reyes, the Commanders’ Chilean-born developmental tight end prospect. 

Castillo said he considers himself a teacher. He added it’s hard to teach when yelling — a vast departure from Hoener’s philosophy.

“This is my 27th year, so I understand I have to earn respect,” Castillo said. “You know you how earn respect? You’ve got to outwork everybody. … To me, that’s the biggest thing, when you walk into a building like this, you have to earn respect. That’s my goal.”