Washington Commander offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury is really limited in what he can do during the 2025 season.
Imagine if you were the offensive coordinator and Demi Brown (Jaguars) and Olamide Zakkoos (Bears) were not retained due to free agency. Then, you lost Noah Brown, Terry McLaurin and Zach Ertz to injuries and contract disputes.
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Then think back to how running back Austin Ekeler had a spectacular triple play in 2024, and Jayden Daniels enjoyed a phenomenal rookie season as an NFL quarterback. Both are out due to injury. When Kingsbury was asked Thursday about the challenges of this season, he responded: “I think it’s just one of those years where we can’t keep guys on the field consistently, and I think that probably helps, it’s part of this game and everybody deals with it and we have to know next time if it happens, we have to be able to handle it better.”
It’s been one challenge after another for Kingsbury, who is now the third quarterback this season (Daniels, Marcus Mariota, Josh Johnson). But instead of complaining about how difficult things were, Kingsbury chose to look for the positives.
“I think the toughest season I’ve ever had is the season where I learned the most and grew the most. So, that’s how we’re going to look at it and handle it next week.”
Kingsbury is often thought of as a passing guru, but he has actually coached and coordinated two seasons of great football for the Commanders. Washington ranks fifth in the NFL through 16 games, averaging 4.8 yards per carry. Additionally, the Commanders ranked fourth in the league in rushing yards with 2,147.
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“I think being able to run the football like we’ve been able to do it and basically run it more than anybody in the league this year is unique and new to me and that’s the style of football that we need to play,” Kingsbury said. “So, I think you can definitely benefit from that. You just have to do a better job in terms of wins and losses.”
Interestingly, Kingsbury was wrong about commanders running the ball “basically more than anyone in the league this year.” In fact, the Commanders are running the ball 14th most frequently this season. But I think for Kingsbury, a former college quarterback and NFL quarterback who played in an Air Raid offense, they seem to be running the ball more than anyone in the league this year.
This article originally appeared on Commander’s Wire: Washington Commander: Kliff Kingsbury remains optimistic despite difficulties in 2025
