Commanders Fire Coach Just Months After Hiring Him

The Washington Commanders have parted ways with tight ends coach Ben Steele, via ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The decision comes less than five months after Steele was hired and just days before the start of training camp, marking an abrupt end to a tenure that began with high expectations after his successful work developing one of the league’s top tight ends.

The move stemmed from a violation of team policy tied to an arrest on June 7. Court records show Steele was charged with driving while intoxicated, refusing a blood test, and obstructing or resisting arrest without force. He informed the team of the incident, was placed on leave, and the organization reported the matter to the NFL. Head coach Dan Quinn is expected to name a replacement soon.

Steele, 48, arrived in Washington in late February to fill the vacancy created when David Raih was promoted to pass-game coordinator under new offensive coordinator David Blough.

He joined the staff after three seasons as tight ends coach with the Arizona Cardinals, where he played a central role in the emergence of Trey McBride. Under Steele’s guidance, McBride set an NFL single-season record for receptions by a tight end with 126 catches in 2025, adding 1,239 yards and 11 touchdowns while earning consecutive Pro Bowl selections. The previous year McBride posted 111 receptions for 1,146 yards.

A former NFL tight end himself, Steele was born May 27, 1978, in Denver and attended Palisade High School in Colorado. He began his college career at Fort Lewis College before transferring to Mesa State (now Colorado Mesa University), where he earned all-conference honors.

Signed as an undrafted free agent by the San Francisco 49ers in 2001, he spent time on practice squads with the 49ers and Oakland Raiders, then appeared in 17 games for the Green Bay Packers from 2004 to 2005, recording four receptions for 42 yards. He also had a brief stint with the Houston Texans before retiring. One notable footnote from his playing days was catching Aaron Rodgers’ first professional touchdown pass in a 2005 preseason game.

Steele transitioned to coaching in 2008 as an offensive assistant at his alma mater, Mesa State. He spent the next two seasons at the University of Colorado, first as an operations and recruiting assistant and then as a graduate assistant, before serving as an offensive administrative assistant at California from 2011 to 2012. In 2013 he became tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator at UC Davis.

His NFL coaching career began in 2014 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an offensive quality control coach. After three seasons in that role he was promoted to tight ends coach for 2017 and 2018. In 2019 he joined the Atlanta Falcons—then coached by current Commanders head coach Dan Quinn—as an offensive assistant and was elevated to tight ends coach the following year.

After Quinn’s departure, Steele spent 2021 as assistant offensive line coach with the Minnesota Vikings and held the same position with the Denver Broncos in 2022. He returned to a tight ends role when the Arizona Cardinals hired him in 2023 under head coach Jonathan Gannon.

The Commanders’ decision ends Steele’s latest chapter just as the team prepares to open camp.

The focus now shifts to who will take over the tight ends room and how the position group—featuring returning players such as Ben Sinnott and John Bates—will be coached in the new offensive scheme.