Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury knows it’s a good thing that one of his biggest problems this season will be ensuring all his talented skill players get enough touches.
“I’ve never had a great player that didn’t want the ball, and so that kind of comes with the territory,” he said this week. “But that’s one thing I think that [Coach Dan Quinn] has created, where it’s the team above anything else. And these guys that had their success last year and got their touches, they know bringing [wide receiver] Deebo [Samuel] in, there’s going to be [fewer touches for them]. But we’re going to be better. And I think when they’re able to sacrifice for that and understand that the ultimate goal is winning, then it all works itself out. But you want those guys. I mean, I’ll get cussed out a few games, but it just comes with the territory. You’d rather have really good players cussing you out than bad players cussing you out.”
Is he right to be concerned? Historical data suggests the Commanders will take about 1,100 offensive snaps over the course of the season. There will probably be more passes than runs. In what’s known as “score-neutral situations” — when the clock and scoreboard don’t dictate run or pass — Kingsbury called passes on about 56 percent of plays last season, according to RBSDM.com, which was the eighth-highest rate in the league. While the Commanders could run more if they get better at it, it’s still safe to bet Kingsbury, a former Air Raid quarterback, will keep the ball in the skies.
So if last season is a guide, there should be about 620 passing snaps in 2025. The top priorities will be star wide receiver Terry McLaurin, who has averaged about 125 targets over the past four seasons, and quarterback Jayden Daniels, who’s an elite scrambler and will inevitably take some sacks, too. If he sustains last year’s pace and remains healthy, Daniels probably will scramble about 75 times and take about 45 sacks.
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