And it’s tough to argue with it.
The Washington Commanders’ disastrous 2025 season is finally over, and the cleanup effort is already well underway.
Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury is gone, with former interim quarterbacks coach David Blough elevated to take his place. On the defensive side, Washington is now searching for a new coordinator after officially cutting ties with Joe Whitt Jr.—a move that felt inevitable long before the season ended.
Whitt’s defense unraveled so badly that head coach Dan Quinn had no choice but to demote him midseason and assume play-calling duties himself. For a unit that was expected to take a step forward, the collapse was stunning. By year’s end, Whitt had become one of the biggest disappointments on the entire coaching staff—arguably the biggest.
Analyst Doesn’t Hold Back on Joe Whitt Jr.
USA Today Sports analyst Ivan Lambert put words to what most Commanders fans had been thinking for months, offering a scathing assessment of Whitt’s tenure.
“Whitt’s defense looked completely overmatched as early as Week 2 in their loss at Green Bay. They couldn’t cover anyone—especially tight ends—with Whitt leading the defense. The defense in 2024 was never ‘good’ either. It was so bad this season that Dan Quinn had to cut loose his friend, Whitt.”
It’s a harsh critique, but not an unfair one.
Not All on the Coach—but the Scheme Didn’t Help
To be fair, Whitt wasn’t handed an elite roster. The Commanders’ defensive talent was below average, even during their surprise NFC Championship run in 2024. That group was mediocre at best—and it somehow regressed in 2025.
Bobby Wagner finally showed his age. The Marshon Lattimore trade turned into a disaster. Jeremy Chinn wasn’t retained, stripping the secondary of its instincts and explosiveness. Meanwhile, general manager Adam Peters’ solution to a shaky defensive line was an expensive gamble on Javon Kinlaw—who finished the season with exactly as many sacks as the average fan reading this.
Those personnel failures aren’t on Whitt.
But the coaching decisions? Those absolutely are.
A Defense That Never Adjusted
Whitt’s scheme consistently put players in poor positions. Frankie Luvu and Mike Sainristil struggled in roles that didn’t maximize their strengths. Wagner remained an every-down linebacker long after it was clear he needed a reduced, situational workload. Worst of all, the defense failed to adapt—coverage breakdowns that surfaced early in the season lingered until the final whistle of 2025.
There were few meaningful adjustments, and opponents exploited the same weaknesses week after week.
In the end, Whitt looked like a familiar hire who simply wasn’t ready for the responsibility. His defense survived in Year 1 because Jayden Daniels and the offense were good enough to mask its flaws. In 2025, without that margin for error, everything collapsed.
Now, one of Washington’s most important offseason tasks is clear: find the right leader to repair the damage left behind—and finally give this defense a chance to catch up with the rest of the rebuild.
