Did this fear lead to Commanders HC Dan Quinn making controversial Kliff Kingsbury, Joe Whitt Jr. moves?

Outsiders were surprised to learn earlier in the week that the Washington Commanders had parted ways with both offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. after the club finished this season with a disappointing record of 5-12. 

It has since become clear that Washington head coach Dan Quinn was responsible for those decisions. For a piece published on Friday afternoon, ESPN's John Keim shared what the moves could mean for Quinn's long-term future in the NFL.

Dan Quinn thinking about more than if Commanders can bounce back after poor season? 

"The speed with which Quinn moved on Kingsbury was noteworthy to some," Keim explained. "The feeling among multiple team and league sources is that if Quinn doesn't succeed in Washington, he will likely not get a third chance as a head coach. So, waiting until it's too late to make a move was not an option." 

Quinn previously served as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons from 2015 up until he was fired after the team began the 2020 season at 0-5. During his tenure, Atlanta famously squandered a 28-3 lead en route to losing Super Bowl LI to the New England Patriots.

More recently, the 2024 Commanders went 12-5 under Quinn and then completed a trip to last year's NFC Championship Game. Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels earned NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award honors for the campaign while playing under Kingsbury, and some thought this past September that Daniels would emerge as a Most Valuable Player Award candidate by Christmas. 

However, injuries limited Daniels to just seven starts this season before he was shut down due to an elbow issue. 

Could Dan Quinn lose the locker room after Kliff Kingsbury move? 

A previous report noted that Quinn and Kingsbury disagreed on "what style of offense to run moving forward...with Quinn wanting to run the ball more to control the clock and help the defense." According to Keim, "numerous players liked Kingsbury and his offense, including Daniels." 

Interestingly, Keim mentioned that "Daniels also is close with assistant quarterbacks coach David Blough." Perhaps promoting Blough to serve as Kingsbury's replacement could help Quinn avoid losing a portion of the locker room this winter.