It only took one down season for Commanders head coach Dan Quinn to push his chips in and seek major change in Washington.
And that’s not a stretch. While the decision to fire both his offensive and defensive coordinators might not have been Quinn’s alone, the head coach now has to live with the results.
The removal of defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. came as zero surprise after a midseason demotion that saw Quinn take over the defensive calls and a terrible yearlong performance for the secondary.
But the ouster of offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury — despite the public support of young quarterback Jayden Daniels — was a big move.
Kingsbury’s removal can be viewed as a logical move after a 5-12 season. If Quinn wants an offense that looks more like those of the most successful teams around the league, Kingsbury’s wasn’t going to be the answer. His system is unique in NFL circles, goes up-tempo far more than any other team and rarely puts the quarterback under center.
Statistically, Kingsbury’s offense impressed in 2024 when the Commanders stayed healthy. Daniels starred in that system as a rookie.
In 2025, the numbers dipped as injuries mounted across the board, including Daniels, although the Washington run game stayed strong.
Beyond the numbers, however, questions bubbled.
Did Kingsbury get too pass happy in the red zone? Was the up-tempo offense a detriment to the defense? Did Daniels take too many hits on designed QB runs? Are the reports of a “disconnect” between Kingsbury and general manager Adam Peters true?
Or perhaps the most pressing question, did the play-caller grow stubborn or outright defiant when Quinn wanted things to look different?
Neither Quinn nor Kingsbury will answer any of those questions publicly as both will take the high road after their divorce, but following the staff changes this week, it’s not too hard to glean the answer to at least a few of those issues was in the affirmative.
Thus, the Commanders head coach finds himself in the uncomfortable position of having to rebuild his coaching staff after just two seasons. Make no mistake, this increases the pressure on Quinn in a major way.
If things go poorly next season, the results start to look damning. Sure, Quinn found success in his first year in Washington, but after that, the staff needed an overhaul.
Well, Quinn did the hiring. And then he did the firing. And now he’s doing it again.
What happens next?
Defensively, it seems likely Quinn will turn to a former lieutenant, with Raheem Morris and Jeff Ulbrich seemingly at the top of the list.
Morris was fired as Atlanta Falcons head coach earlier this week, and it’s unclear if Ulbrich will stay in Atlanta as their defensive coordinator as the organization looks to reset. Morris is a coach players love, and Ulbrich has a track record of generating pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Both have long-standing ties to Quinn. And Morris coached in Washington many years back in the Mike Shanahan regime.
Offensively, things are much more interesting.
Daniels is the crown jewel of the franchise. With the ouster of Kingsbury and the in-season departure of former quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard to take over as head coach of Stanford University, all of a sudden the quarterback room Daniels enjoyed for two seasons looks a lot different.
Passing game coordinator and assistant head coach Brian Johnson remains and could be an internal candidate for the offensive coordinator job. He previously called plays for the Eagles before his removal in Philadelphia.
But another in-house candidate might be harder to ignore. David Blough is only 30 years old and just a few seasons removed from throwing passes in the NFL, though his reputation has already soared in league circles. How much? Well, after just two years on the Washington coaching staff — first as assistant QBs coach, then as interim QBs coach — the Detroit Lions have already requested to interview Blough for their vacant offensive coordinator position.
Sure, Blough played in Detroit, but that isn’t what this is about. Ask around at the NFL Scouting Combine or the annual league meetings, and Blough is recognized as an up-and-comer.
So for Quinn, does he let his young QB guru get poached? Will Detroit, or another team, even offer?
Those are questions the head coach will have to answer.
Blough isn’t the safe pick; there are other more established play-callers out there that would bring a higher floor to the position. But for an organization that is haunted by the ghost of offensive coordinators past (McVay, Shanahan, O’Connell, etc.), losing another gifted young offensive mind might be too much to handle. Even if the current ownership and leadership had nothing to do with those previous departures.
Whatever Quinn decides, the mission is clear: Keep Daniels healthy and surround him with talent.
The signal-caller proved in 2024 he can find great success in the NFL, and while the talent acquisition pressure needs to be significantly applied to Peters, the word is Quinn gets final say on coaching decisions.
If things go poorly in Washington in 2026, it’s unlikely Quinn gets another shot at being a head coach. The pressure is high. The decisions are his, apparently.
Better get it right, Coach.
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