The Washington Commanders fired tight ends coach Ben Steele before he ever coached a regular-season game with the franchise, terminating him after a DWI arrest last month that also included charges for resisting an officer and refusing a breath test.

Steele's firing, which the Commanders confirmed Monday on the social media platform X, came just two days before veterans were set to report for training camp. The team said it was "parting ways" with Steele and added that it would "have no further comment at this time." A replacement is expected to be named Tuesday, the day before camp opens.

The timing could hardly be worse for a franchise trying to bounce back from a 5-12 season. Steele had joined head coach Dan Quinn's staff earlier this year after three seasons coaching tight ends for the Arizona Cardinals, where he helped develop Trey McBride into one of the NFL's premier pass-catchers. Now Washington heads into camp scrambling for a position coach it hired just months ago.

Virginia court records show four charges beyond the DWI

Steele was arrested June 7 on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, Breitbart reported. Virginia court records list additional charges: refusing a blood or breath test, obstructing or resisting an officer without force, and changing course without signaling. All are classified as Class 1 misdemeanors under Virginia law, the most serious misdemeanor category in the state, carrying potential jail time and fines.

The Commanders placed Steele on administrative leave after learning of the arrest. A source familiar with the situation told UPI that the team also reported the matter to the NFL league office. He was ultimately fired for violating team policy.

During Steele's absence, former New England Patriots and Denver Broncos receiver Wes Welker stepped in as interim tight ends coach for the team's minicamp this offseason. Whether Welker is a candidate for the permanent role remains unclear.

Steele never coached a game for Washington after February hire

Steele's career arc made his hiring look like a smart move at the time. He played tight end for the Green Bay Packers and Houston Texans from 2004 to 2006, bouncing through camps with the San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders, Seattle Seahawks, and Minnesota Vikings before that. He transitioned to coaching not long after his playing days ended, working in college football before joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an offensive quality control coach in 2014.

By 2017, Steele had earned a promotion to tight ends coach in Tampa Bay. He moved to the Atlanta Falcons for the 2019 and 2020 seasons, spent 2021 with the Vikings, and coached with the Broncos in 2022 before landing with the Cardinals.

His work in Arizona was his strongest credential. McBride, a Colorado State product, earned two Pro Bowl selections in the past two seasons under Steele's coaching. McBride collected at least 1,100 receiving yards in each of those campaigns and posted a 1,239-yard, 11-touchdown season in 2025 that earned him first-team All-Pro honors. That production made Steele an attractive hire when Quinn brought him aboard in February, as Fox News Digital reported.

Sudden firings have become a recurring theme across professional sports. ESPN's abrupt dismissal of NFL analyst Ryan Clark, who learned of his termination during a live broadcast, showed how quickly organizations move when they decide a relationship is over.

A 5-12 season and an injured quarterback made the stakes higher

Washington's urgency to get its coaching staff settled stems from a brutal recent stretch. Quarterback Jayden Daniels won Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2024 and led the Commanders to a 12-5 record and an NFC Championship Game appearance. But an injury limited Daniels to just seven games the following season, and the team cratered to 5-12.

The Commanders signed tight end Chig Okonkwo this offseason to strengthen a position group that featured John Bates and Ben Sinnott last season. Steele was supposed to be the coach who tied that group together and replicated the kind of production he coaxed out of McBride in Arizona. Instead, Washington enters camp without its tight ends coach and without a public explanation beyond a two-sentence statement on social media.

The emotional toll of a public firing is something coaches across sports understand. Tom Thibodeau has spoken openly about how his dismissal from the New York Knicks still stings, even as his former players went on to win a championship.

The New York Post noted that Steele's firing came at a particularly critical juncture, with training camp beginning Wednesday and the team needing its position coaches in place from day one. The current status of Steele's criminal charges, whether they are pending, have been resolved, or are headed toward trial, remains unknown.

Professional sports organizations preach accountability. When a coach faces four criminal charges before he even takes the field, accountability means the door, no matter how impressive the résumé.