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Why did the Washington Commanders and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury part ways on Tuesday?
Well, it depends on who you ask. Just one year ago, the Commanders were preparing to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC wild-card round. Kingsbury had Washington's offense playing at an elite level, led by quarterback Jayden Daniels, who would win the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
Things didn't go as planned in 2025, with injuries to Daniels being a big reason for Washington's step back. Until last week, almost everyone believed Kingsbury would return, unless he landed a second crack at being an NFL head coach. However, a report over the weekend indicated a "disconnect" between Kingsbury and general manager Adam Peters. And, during Monday's season-ending press conference, head coach Dan Quinn and Peters did not praise Kingsbury when they had a chance.
So, what really happened?
Here are five likely reasons why the Commanders parted ways with Kingsbury.
When Washington signed Kingsbury as offensive coordinator, almost everyone believed it would be a short-term arrangement. It certainly looked that way after last season. At some point this season, there was frustration between Kingsbury and Quinn. While it was reported to be Peters, it was more likely Quinn. Once the season ended, Washington knew that Kingsbury would get head coaching interviews. While he was far from a lock to land one of those jobs, the Commanders felt it was the perfect time to move on from him. In any instance, it's always better to move on a year too soon than a year too late.
This isn't necessarily Kingsbury's fault. Washington knew who he was before hiring him. He wasn't going to change his style of play. His blend of Air Raid principles, along with run-pass options, was the perfect offense for Daniels. Last season, Washington's offense did an excellent job of controlling the football, despite the fast pace and lack of huddling. This year, with Daniels in and out of the lineup and so many other injuries, Washington couldn't sustain the same level of play. Kingsbury did run the ball, which goes against what some say about him. The real problem here is that the defense, Quinn's baby, wasn't able to hold up. Last year, Daniels often bailed out the defense in the fourth quarter or overtime. Where he missed so much time this season, it impacted everybody. The truth is, the defense was on the field more because it couldn't stop anyone. That's not Kingsbury's fault. That's on Quinn.
If Peters had an issue, it revolved around Daniels. The GM realizes that Daniels is the franchise's greatest long-term asset. Here's something to consider: why aren't more NFL teams doing what Kingsbury does? Half of the NFL tries to mimic what Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay do. Did Peters and Quinn think it was Kingsbury's offense that led Daniels to be at more risk of injury? If you watch how each injury happened, it really had nothing to do with Kingsbury. Sure, he probably runs the ball a bit much, but Daniels also must learn to protect himself. Several of Daniels' runs came on scrambles, which aren't on Kingsbury either.
Ultimately, the Commanders aren't wrong if they believe this isn't a good offensive scheme for Daniels in the long term. Their job is to win and give Daniels everything he needs in order to succeed. Was Kingsbury doing this? Only those in the building know the answer to that question. If you look at Kingsbury's history, his offense always starts fast until other teams adapt.
The best offensive coaches are always ahead of the curve. They adjust to being adjusted to. Kingsbury is a smart and innovative offensive coach, but he also puts more stock in his scheme than in changing things. Kingsbury proved the "Kliff Cliff" was not real in 2024. In 2025, it was tough to take anything away from the offensive performance in 2025. The starting offense was rarely together. Kingsbury did a good job of holding things together, playing with a third-string quarterback late in the season. However, some of the knocks on him before his time in Washington followed him. He was known for not moving his top receiver around the formation. That's being rigid. How often did you see Terry McLaurin lining up in different positions? There are also knocks against Kingsbury for not playing his quarterbacks under center more, which he dismissed last week. And he also doesn't use pre-snap motion nearly as much as other teams. Kingsbury is a good coach, and he'll land somewhere soon, but he struggles to adapt, and that's unlikely to change. The Commanders felt they needed something different.
Grant Paulsen of 106.7 The Fan presented this stat after Kingsbury was let go, which disputes the longstanding notion that Kingsbury doesn't like to run the ball.
That pokes another hole in the theory that Kingsbury doesn't focus on the run game. At times this season, the Commanders ran the ball well. However, there were long stretches where they couldn't count on the running game. Was that scheme or personnel? One complaint was that Washington's ground game was too reliant on Daniels as a runner. That is true. It's clear that Quinn and Peters want an identity based on the running game. The goal is to take some of the pressure off Daniels' shoulders. That should be the case.
It appears that the Commanders want someone from Shanahan's tree, focused on the zone-blocking scheme. Shouldn't they have just done that two years ago? They knew who Kingsbury was and what type of offense he ran. He didn't change. The Commanders did.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: 5 reasons they moved on from Kliff Kingsbury
Continue reading...
Well, it depends on who you ask. Just one year ago, the Commanders were preparing to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC wild-card round. Kingsbury had Washington's offense playing at an elite level, led by quarterback Jayden Daniels, who would win the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
Things didn't go as planned in 2025, with injuries to Daniels being a big reason for Washington's step back. Until last week, almost everyone believed Kingsbury would return, unless he landed a second crack at being an NFL head coach. However, a report over the weekend indicated a "disconnect" between Kingsbury and general manager Adam Peters. And, during Monday's season-ending press conference, head coach Dan Quinn and Peters did not praise Kingsbury when they had a chance.
So, what really happened?
Here are five likely reasons why the Commanders parted ways with Kingsbury.
Commanders knew they'd need to replace Kingsbury eventually, so they did it now
When Washington signed Kingsbury as offensive coordinator, almost everyone believed it would be a short-term arrangement. It certainly looked that way after last season. At some point this season, there was frustration between Kingsbury and Quinn. While it was reported to be Peters, it was more likely Quinn. Once the season ended, Washington knew that Kingsbury would get head coaching interviews. While he was far from a lock to land one of those jobs, the Commanders felt it was the perfect time to move on from him. In any instance, it's always better to move on a year too soon than a year too late.
Fast-paced offense taxed bad defense
This isn't necessarily Kingsbury's fault. Washington knew who he was before hiring him. He wasn't going to change his style of play. His blend of Air Raid principles, along with run-pass options, was the perfect offense for Daniels. Last season, Washington's offense did an excellent job of controlling the football, despite the fast pace and lack of huddling. This year, with Daniels in and out of the lineup and so many other injuries, Washington couldn't sustain the same level of play. Kingsbury did run the ball, which goes against what some say about him. The real problem here is that the defense, Quinn's baby, wasn't able to hold up. Last year, Daniels often bailed out the defense in the fourth quarter or overtime. Where he missed so much time this season, it impacted everybody. The truth is, the defense was on the field more because it couldn't stop anyone. That's not Kingsbury's fault. That's on Quinn.
Commanders didn't feel Kingsbury's offense was suitable for Daniels long-term
If Peters had an issue, it revolved around Daniels. The GM realizes that Daniels is the franchise's greatest long-term asset. Here's something to consider: why aren't more NFL teams doing what Kingsbury does? Half of the NFL tries to mimic what Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay do. Did Peters and Quinn think it was Kingsbury's offense that led Daniels to be at more risk of injury? If you watch how each injury happened, it really had nothing to do with Kingsbury. Sure, he probably runs the ball a bit much, but Daniels also must learn to protect himself. Several of Daniels' runs came on scrambles, which aren't on Kingsbury either.
Ultimately, the Commanders aren't wrong if they believe this isn't a good offensive scheme for Daniels in the long term. Their job is to win and give Daniels everything he needs in order to succeed. Was Kingsbury doing this? Only those in the building know the answer to that question. If you look at Kingsbury's history, his offense always starts fast until other teams adapt.
Kingsbury was unwilling to adapt
The best offensive coaches are always ahead of the curve. They adjust to being adjusted to. Kingsbury is a smart and innovative offensive coach, but he also puts more stock in his scheme than in changing things. Kingsbury proved the "Kliff Cliff" was not real in 2024. In 2025, it was tough to take anything away from the offensive performance in 2025. The starting offense was rarely together. Kingsbury did a good job of holding things together, playing with a third-string quarterback late in the season. However, some of the knocks on him before his time in Washington followed him. He was known for not moving his top receiver around the formation. That's being rigid. How often did you see Terry McLaurin lining up in different positions? There are also knocks against Kingsbury for not playing his quarterbacks under center more, which he dismissed last week. And he also doesn't use pre-snap motion nearly as much as other teams. Kingsbury is a good coach, and he'll land somewhere soon, but he struggles to adapt, and that's unlikely to change. The Commanders felt they needed something different.
The running game
Grant Paulsen of 106.7 The Fan presented this stat after Kingsbury was let go, which disputes the longstanding notion that Kingsbury doesn't like to run the ball.
That pokes another hole in the theory that Kingsbury doesn't focus on the run game. At times this season, the Commanders ran the ball well. However, there were long stretches where they couldn't count on the running game. Was that scheme or personnel? One complaint was that Washington's ground game was too reliant on Daniels as a runner. That is true. It's clear that Quinn and Peters want an identity based on the running game. The goal is to take some of the pressure off Daniels' shoulders. That should be the case.
It appears that the Commanders want someone from Shanahan's tree, focused on the zone-blocking scheme. Shouldn't they have just done that two years ago? They knew who Kingsbury was and what type of offense he ran. He didn't change. The Commanders did.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: 5 reasons they moved on from Kliff Kingsbury
Continue reading...
