Kliff Kingsbury sabotages Washington Commanders with one final blow ahead of free agency

Kliff Kingsbury hit the Commanders where it hurts on his way out, and it impacts their offseason moving forward.

Josh Taylor — Washington Commanders News Writer
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The Washington Commanders made drastic changes this offseason, which were much needed after a 5-12 season.

Not all of them were received well at first, including moving on from offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury after a magical 2024 season with quarterback Jayden Daniels. It’s a move that has aged well, however, and Kingsbury’s long offseason finally came to an end just recently.

Kingsbury is headed back to the West Coast to join the Los Angeles Rams, but the move came with a twist and one final shot at the Commanders.

Kliff Kingsbury was announced as Assistant Head Coach for the Rams

We knew that Kingsbury was joining Sean McVay, but we didn’t know his exact role on the Rams. After interviewing for head coaching and offensive coordinator positions this offseason, Kingsbury finally landed with the Rams as the Assistant Head Coach under McVay’s wings.

Kingsbury can bounce back under McVay and hit the market next season, but he made sure to make one last move that impacted the Commanders on his way out.

Kliff Kingsbury steals Brian Johnson from the Commanders

Kingsbury didn’t fly out west empty-handed, as he made sure to bring a familiar face with him. The Rams announced that former Commanders’ assistant head coach and passing game coordinator Brian Johnson has followed Kingsbury over as a Senior Offensive Assistant.

This comes after Johnson was skipped over by David Blough as the next offensive coordinator, despite his experience as a former play-caller with the Philadelphia Eagles.

One would think this means the Commanders will have to replace Johnson now, but at this point in the offseason, it may be much harder than people think. General manager Adam Peters said at the scouting combine that they will absorb Johnson’s role, which means they may just distribute his responsibilities to other coaches and lose the position overall.

The Commanders will have a lot of youth and unknowns on their offensive coaching staff, with only Anthony Lynn and David Raih returning. Blough will be calling an offense for the first time, and he brought in a younger support staff, but the word around the league is that Blough is ready for this moment.

Jayden Daniels will have a new scheme to learn this offseason, and now he has two coaches from last season headed elsewhere, but he still has Blough to lean on with their familiarity.

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