Commanders Fire O-Line Coach; Dan Quinn Disagreed With Coordinator Firings?

A year after a surprise NFC championship game appearance, the Commanders moved on from both their coordinators. This follows a 5-12 season in which Jayden Daniels suffered three injuries that limited him to just seven games in total.

More fallout from the firings has emerged. For starters, the Commanders have fired offensive line coach Bobby Johnson, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini and Nicki Jhabvala report. Johnson was a Dan Quinn hire upon arrival. He had coached the Giants’ O-line during Brian Daboll‘s first two seasons.

This marks the second time in three years Johnson has been fired. The Giants let him go following the 2023 season. Johnson had served as the Bills’ O-line coach from 2019-21 before following Daboll to the Big Apple. Johnson had not worked with Quinn or Kliff Kingsbury previously.

Kingsbury represented the biggest domino to fall Tuesday, as he had drawn extensive head coaching interest last year and had popped up as a candidate again — even after a down Commanders season. While demoted DC Joe Whitt was viewed as on the way out, Kingsbury brought a surprise. But a report over the weekend indicated Kingsbury and GM Adam Peters were not seeing eye-to-eye. Soon after, Kingsbury is a coaching free agent despite one season remaining on his contract.

The Commanders had lured Kingsbury away from his 2024 Raiders commitment, dangling a third year the former Cardinals HC coveted. The Raiders had only offered a two-year deal. Kingsbury, 46, figures to be in demand moving forward. This dismissal reportedly came against the objections of Daniels and other offensive players, and it does not appear to be the first instance of the Washington front office disagreeing with the coaching staff.

Quinn did not seem overly interested in firing his coordinators, according to veteran insider Jordan Schultz, who adds front office meddling with Quinn’s staff is believed to be an issue for the franchise. The issue extends to the front office giving instructions on which players to use, per Schultz. It is not uncommon for GMs to have preferences on how players are utilized; after all, they do generally have roster control. But conflict between front offices and staffs on this level is certainly something to monitor, as Schultz adds there were “notable disagreements” during a 5-12 season on this front.

This disconnect will obviously be a storyline to monitor. Peters did not have Quinn as his first choice. The Commanders were moving toward a Ben Johnson hire in 2024. Like the Raiders in 2025, however, Johnson’s wishes did not align with this plan. Quinn became a safe choice after three solid seasons as Dallas’ DC, and he guided Washington to road wins over the Buccaneers and No. 1-seeded Lions — Johnson’s Detroit finale — in last season’s playoffs. Injuries to Daniels and Terry McLaurin significantly impacted this year’s Commanders edition.

Considering this report, it will be interesting to see if rumblings about a Quinn departure emerge in the near future. Otherwise, it would seem the second-chance HC will enter the season on a hot seat. Coordinator firings regularly precede a head coach’s seat warming, and it should be safe to assume that is the case in Washington heading into the offseason.