NFL insider Benjamin Allbright breaks down his perspective on the Washington Commanders "friction" and what to expect this offseason on the coaching staff.
After the domino officially dropped this week with Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn moving from both Kliff Kingsbury as offensive coordinator and Joe Whitt Jr. as defensive coordinator, several early names have been floated as possibilities though the first coordinator interview went with a sitting defensive coach who has lasted through three different head coaches.
In the midst of identifying next steps for the Washington Commanders ahead of a pivotal year three for Dan Quinn, rumors and speculation has continued to swirl about the reasoning for overhaul within the organization.
On Wednesday, NFL reporter Jordan Schultz reported that "part of the issue the #Commanders have had in the building is the front office meddling with the coaching staff on personnel and which players to use — an ongoing problem dating back to 2024 when they were having success."
On The Big Doug and Carmi Show, NFL reporter and Broncos insider Benjamin Allbright pushed back on concern of friction inside the building.
"A lot of this friction is I think a little bit overblown. Again, a lot of this had to do with the front office saying 'hey what are we doing this late in the season? We had a season we've lost, playing these guys or not playing these guys when we have this going on. What are we doing having a 38-year-old man out here? We've got this guy we've drafted we need to get some reps for, that kind of stuff," Allbright said in the latest episode. "That's where the 'friction' [exists]."
As for where Kingsbury could land next, he's found himself on a number of betting favorites for the growing list of head coach and coordinator vacancies. Kliff was already tied to both the Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns head coaching job, but Allbright sees the former Commanders coordinator staying closer to his last stop.
"I don't think it's a concern but I think he'll probably wind up in Baltimore. That was part of the reason the [John] Harbaugh thing happened is because they wanted - Lamar wants a different [offensive coordinator] and John Harbaugh did not want to move off Todd Monken. So that's part of the reason that happened there. I suspect that the Baltimore coaches are going to be Jesse Minter as the head coach with Kliff Kingsbury as the [offensive coordinator], but we'll see."
Allbright also shed insight into Raiders defensive coordinator after emerging as the first tangible coaching target.
"Sharp guy. Everybody loves him. Loves playing for him. Everybody swears by him. He's one of those guys that's high energy defensive coordinator type. It would be a little bit of a philosophical shift from what you guys do defensively, but doable. It's not like [Brian] Flores where it's a whole opposite entirely. He's well respected around the league. You definitely could do a lot worse. I think he wants a head coaching job so the thing is there, if you're bringing him in, you're probably getting a year, maybe two out of him if he does what you expect and then he's looking for a head coaching job. So I'm not sure that's the direction necessarily that you want to go."
"Maybe you go internally."