When Kliff Kingsbury was fired as head coach of the Cardinals last January, his coaching future was in doubt. He found himself back in the NFL this offseason, however, and his tenure as offensive coordinator of the Commanders has been impressive to date. 
“I really didn’t think I was ever going to coach again,” Kingsbury recalled during an interview with Sam Fortier of the Washington Post. “It was set up so perfectly just to ride off into the sunset.”
The 45-year-old served as coach of the Cardinals from 2019-22, with his first three campaigns producing year-over-year improvement in the win-loss department. The final campaign of that tenure produced a 4-13 record, though, and it came as little surprise when the organization cleaned house. Kingsbury took a trip to Thailand while contemplating his future before ultimately taking a gig on Lincoln Riley‘s USC staff for the 2023 season.
That one-and-done tenure did not produce a desire to remain at the college level on a full-time basis. Kingsbury – who served as Texas Tech’s head coach for six years – noted he does not intend to return to the NCAA level in the near future. He drew considerable interest on the NFL coordinator market during the winter, interviewing with the Bears and Eagles. Kingsbury added he was prepared to take those gigs, but both teams went in a different direction.
A deal then appeared to be in place with the Raiders for their offensive coordinator spot. The agreement fell through, however, and Kingsbury’s interview reveals Vegas offered him a two-year contract. He was aiming for a three-year pact, and that sticking point paved the way for Dan Quinn hiring him to lead Washington’s offense. While minority owner Magic Johnson was initially believed to have played a role in Kingsbury winding up in the nation’s capital, Kingsbury confirmed that was not the case.
Using second overall pick Jayden Daniels at quarterback right away during his rookie season, the Commanders have impressed so far on offense. Washington ranks fifth in scoring and sixth in yardage, and the team has not punted over the past two games. Daniels has yet to commit a turnover, and remaining comfortable in Kingsbury’s scheme could allow Washington to exceed expectations moving forward. In that event, Kingsbury’s head coaching stock could become something to monitor for future hiring cycles.
Well, he seems to be doing a great job so far. Have to give him kudos for getting the kid on track so quickly and the Bears, Raiders and especially the Eagles fans must be kicking themselves wishing their teams would have made him a longer-term offer.
They’ve played one defense/team that appears to have even a middle of the pack defense and they got beaten pretty soundly. Daniels looks good, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves here with Kingsbury.
Kingsbury has never had an issue with his offense. Look at his tenure at TT, Look at his tenure with the Cards. Look at his OC days prior top TT. He may not be a good HC but the dude can call plays with the best of them. He reminds me a lot of Norv Turner in the sense that people remember him as a lackluster HC with SD, Oak and Wash but that dude could also call plays.
I disagree about his time with the Cardinals. He ran a predictable scheme, never moving receivers around, and constantly living or dying by whether Murray could go out and make chicken salad out of chicken s*$%.
Demeco Ryans disagrees with you. He said that the toughest play caller he’s had to prepare for was Kliff.
But in his best season (2021) the Cards were one of the only teams to rank top 10 offensively in passing, rushing and scoring. Plus Kyler did have OROY during his rookie campaign. I know people like to crap on Kliff but the Raiders and Eagles would be that much better if they had them as opposed to what they got now. If you think Kliff cant call plays it’s gotta be personal. Meaning you dont like him because he doesn’t wear socks or something. Kinda like Kyler. People that don’t think Kyler can play have a personal issue with him. Whether his height or something.
Oh I think Kyler can play, and I think he looks a lot better now that he’s in a scheme that does more to help him. And the Cardinals were 11th in rushing yards and scoring in 2021. Murray had the fourth most rushing attempts of any QB in football despite missing three games, because he was out there having to make things happen.
I cant disagree with your last comments. I think Kyler looks far better in this system too.
Let’s not forget the Eagles just got “beaten pretty soundly” by that same “middle of the pack defense”. Maybe that Middle of the pack defense is actually better than you think? Or maybe they did well against a rookie QB making his first start and didn’t have the whole playbook at his fingertips yet- seems Kliff has continued building onto to playbook in recent weeks…
Combination of factors… Kingsbury is a talented offensive coach, a seasoned college quarterback in Daniels from LSU which has a big time program… talent on offense with a little bit of a running game that helps…. Also, new regime in DC, with a different atmosphere, POSITIVE TEAM VIBE… WOW!… NFC wide open this year… Dallas taking a step back…. Giants are the Giants, Who knows with Philly, though I expect Philly to be a player all year in the NFC EAST… Kingsbury is talented….