New Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury on his ideal QB for Washington: 'The Chiefs quarterback'

New Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury on his ideal QB for Washington: ‘The Chiefs quarterback’

Kliff Kingsbury will reportedly have full control of the Washington Commanders offense entering the 2024 NFL season. Asked Thursday to describe his ideal quarterback for the job, Kingsbury went an unconventional route with his response.

“Uh, the Chiefs quarterback,” he joked to reporters, alluding to three-time Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes. “No, um, I do think the game — as you can see, you watch those guys, Brock (Purdy) and (Mahomes) — when money’s on the table, you gotta be able to make some plays with your feet, move around enough to escape a bad play. It doesn’t mean you gotta run like Lamar (Jackson) or Kyler Murray, but you better be able to move a little bit and buy yourself some time, because the D-line, the rushes, the defense these days are so good.”

Kingsbury, of course, has a history with both Mahomes and Murray. He served as Mahomes’ head coach at Texas Tech from 2014-2016, before the future Kansas City superstar was drafted in 2017. Kingsbury also recruited Murray while overseeing the program, later working as the Arizona Cardinals head coach when the team spent the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft on the QB.

In Washington, the former Cardinals coach could be tasked with shepherding the growth of yet another young QB prospect. Third-year veteran Sam Howell is fresh off his first full year as a starter, but his 21 interceptions led to multiple demotions, and the Commanders now hold the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 draft. The consensus top QBs who could be on their radar include USC’s Caleb Williams, North Carolina’s Drake Maye and LSU’s Jayden Daniels.

Regardless of who ends up under center in D.C., where the Commanders are also debuting a new head coach in former Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, Kingsbury told reporters he’s “excited” to work solely on his side of the ball.

“Being able to focus on just the offense will be great,” he said. “To be able to back up and do that again is exciting. … (But) you’ve gotta have talented players to work with.”