Will he reunite with Caleb Williams?

On November 15, 2024By Littum

The Washington’s commanders has been one of the biggest surprises of the 2024 NFL season. By entering 7-3 a “Thursday Night Football” clash with NFC East foe Philadelphiathe Commanders is on track to make the playoffs for the first time since 2020 in the first year of head coach Dan Quinn’s tenure.

Although Quinn’s specialty is defense, offense is the primary reason for the Commanders’ success. Washington has a top-five offense for the first time since 2012 — a team that famously featured current NFL coaches Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVay, Matt LaFleur, Mike McDaniel and Raheem Morris on its staff.

Like the 2012 team with Robert Griffin III, this year’s offense is led by a rookie quarterback selected No. 2 overall after winning the Heisman Trophy. Jayden Daniels is a top-10 passer in most categories this season and leads the team in rushing yards through 10 games.

The man behind the offense of the year is fv Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury. Here’s what he’s been up to this year — and where he might train next season.

Commanders stats with Kingsbury

The Cardinals fired Kingsbury in January 2023 after a 4–13 record, his fourth with the team. He spent the 2023 season in the college ranks as a senior offensive analyst at the USC Trojans under Lincoln Riley.

Four days after hiring Quinn as head coach, Washington hired Kingsbury as the team’s new offensive coordinator. He is one of two Washington assistants with head coaching experience, the other being coordinator and running backs coach Anthony Lynn.

Entering Week 11, here’s how the Commanders offense ranks across the league by standard metrics:

Points scored: 3
Yards: 4
Committed turnover: 1. (at least)
Passing Yards: 11
Passing touchdowns: 23
Rushing yards: 4
Rushing touchdowns: 1
Third down conversions: 5. (44.7%)

By advanced metrics, the Commanders have one of the most efficient attacks in the league. Here’s how they rank with data on expected points added (EPA) from SumerSports:

EPA/game: 2nd (0.17)
Success rate: 3rd (47.9%)
EPA/Passport: 2nd (0.22)
EPA/rush: 1st (0.14)

These numbers all paint a clear picture: Washington’s offense is one of the most productive and efficient in the league, and Kingsbury is at the helm.

Kliff Kingsbury and Caleb Williams

The Chicago Bears drafted quarterback Caleb Williams ahead of Daniels with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Chicago is in the midst of a three-game losing streak and fired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron on Tuesday.

Chicago interviewed Kingsbury for the vacant offensive coordinator position in the offseason prior to the hiring of Waldron. Kingsbury worked out Williams in the top pick’s final season at USC.

The Bears and the Commanders met in Week 8, with Washington winning on the final play of the game. Before the match, the two were complimented by each other.

“Great guy, great coach,” Williams said. “You go over there and ask all the players and they say they love him, probably because he’s a players’ coach. Knowing him, knowing how much he loves football, it brings joy to his players.”

“Huge human, competitor,” Kingsbury said of Williams. “It was a foregone conclusion that he was going to be the No. 1 pick for a long time… (he’s) a tremendous competitor, wants to be great, works at it, and just insane talent. Some of those freaky Mahomes-type throws he can making and the vision, extending games.”

With the Bears on track to miss the playoffs for the fourth year in a row, Chicago could change the coaching staff. Kingsbury would likely be high on the list of head coaching candidates.

Kliff Kingsbury Coaching Record

Kingsbury spent four seasons as head coach with the Arizona Cardinals, going 28-37-1 in the regular season and 0-1 in the postseason.

2019 (5-10-1)
- Offense: 16th in points, 21st in yards; 10. in rushing, 24. in passing
- Defense: 28th in points, 32nd in yards; 24. in rushing, 31. in passing
2020 (8-8):
- Offense: 13th in points, 6th in yards; 7. in rushing, 17. in passing
- Defense: 12th in points, 13th in yards; 22nd in rushing, 10th in passing
2021 (11-6):
- Offense: 11th in points, 8th in yards; 10. in rushing, 10. in passing
- Defense: 11th in points, 11th in yards; 20. in rushing, 7. in passing
2022 (4-13):
- Offense: 21st in points, 22nd in yards; 22. in rushing, 18. in passing
- Defense: 31st in points, 21st in yards; 14. in rushing, 24. in passing

Like Quinn, Kingsbury could parlay this strong recovery as a coordinator into another head coaching stint in the NFL.