The Commanders need major changes after a terrible season, and that could include a new play caller. But to be crystal clear, offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury does not deserve to be the scapegoat for this miserable year.
Washington struggled throughout the 2025 season, limping into the Week 18 finale with a 4-12 record, so it should bring little surprise that reports are swirling about possible coaching staff changes.
Despite the poor year, head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Adam Peters stand on solid footing and should be back for a third season. The duo earned at least another year after a sensational 2024 season in Washington.
Further down the line, however, expect changes.
Most notably, the future for Kingsbury seems uncertain. The Athletic reported a “disconnect” between him and Peters. Should that be true, it’s troubling.
Perhaps that disconnect comes from an at times pass-happy Kingsbury, especially in the red zone. The most egregious example came in a Week 14 loss to Minnesota, when the Commanders still had a prayer of salvaging some positives on the season.
Already trailing by a touchdown early in the first half, Washington executed a strong drive to doorstep of the Vikings end zone. From the 2-yard line, Kingsbury called three straight pass plays. The Commanders were stopped on each play, and Minnesota took the ball back on downs before marching on a 98-yard touchdown drive of their own.
In that sequence, Washington’s season was officially toast. Daniels would re-injure his elbow in the second half of the 31-0 shutout loss in Minnesota and did not return to the field the remainder of the year.
So sure, there were times where Kingsbury’s play sheet left many puzzled. That said, he’s hardly the only concern in Washington.
Even in that Minnesota loss, after the Commanders offense stalled at the goal line, the defense could have gotten a stop against a struggling Vikings offense. That didn’t happen.
Injuries played a major factor in the 2025 campaign, taking multiple important players out for the year and hampering second-year quarterback Daniels to just four complete games.
Still, even with the injuries and lack of continuity for players on the field, Quinn and Peters need to do a full examination of what they constructed.
The defense has been awful. That’s not hyperbole either. The Commanders rank 31st in yards allowed per game and 31st in takeaways. Washington’s rush defense lands 31st in yards allowed and the pass defense landed 28th.
There’s only 32 teams. These are all bottom of the barrel rankings.
The offense wasn’t much better, but it was better (21st in yards gained, a top 5 run game). And that came with turnover at the QB position for most of the year.
Kingsbury may or may not be on his way out of the Ashburn facility. League sources tell me he has a real shot at landing the Titans head coaching job.
The point here is not to be overly defensive of Kingsbury. When a team goes from a 12-5 season to a 4-12 record, everything needs to be examined, including the offensive system.
The point here is, however, to make sure the light of examination extends to Quinn and Peters.
The head coach assembled a defensive staff that, in Weeks 7 through 10, lost four straight games by three touchdowns or more, a feat not accomplished across the NFL in more than two decades. And the general manager put that defense together.
The roster construction in the offseason was haphazard, and playing time decisions for young players in a lost season rarely made sense.
This offseason must be better. That means Quinn identifying a defensive coordinator to fix an awful lot, since the head man doesn’t seem keen on doing it himself. And it means Peters needs to get younger and faster on both sides of the ball while playing with a short stack of chips after a series of draft pick trades for veteran players.
The work required to get Washington back into playoff positioning is significant, though that’s what Peters and Quinn signed up for. Some injury luck and Daniels’ return to brilliance would help too.
Washington owner Josh Harris is too experienced in pro sports for a knee jerk move like removing the coach or GM after one poor season. Patience has value, especially with the injury situation in Washington this season.
Neither Quinn nor Peters need to be sent packing.
But everybody needs to be on notice.
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