Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingbury talked to reporters before Tuesday’s practice started. The team is on a short week, coming off a game on Saturday against the Philadelphia Eagles,
and preparing to host the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday, Christmas day. They are likely to be down to their third-string QB with Marcus Mariota getting stitches in his hand, and dealing with a quad injury.
The team signed Jeff Driskel off the Arizona Cardinals practice squad yesterday. He was Washington’s QB3 last season, and will likely be active, along with current QB3 Josh Johnson, over Sam Hartman who is on the practice squad. Kingsbury was asked about not playing Hartman, even though he’s been on the team for the last two seasons. He said it wouldn’t be fair to Hartman to prepare for his first NFL start with limited reps in a short week. Veteran Josh Johnson will likely start, but he could be on a short leash with Driskel familiar with the offense.
Kingsbury was asked about head coaching opportunities after the season, and he gave the typical answer of focusing on this week, and getting his QBs prepared for the Cowboys. He turned down interviews, and an offer from the Saints last season, focusing on the playoffs, and then another season with Jayden Daniels and the Commanders. Kingsbury is still receiving head coaching money from his contract extension with the Arizona Cardinals years ago, but he could be more interested in exploring his options after this disappointing year. His stock would have been higher with another playoff run, but injuries to Daniels and his top WRs limited the offense and the team.
