What Commanders Could Do Next After Dismissing Tight Ends Coach Ben Steele

The Commanders have little time to replace Ben Steele, leaving Wes Welker and David Raih as the most logical internal options before training camp begins.

Washington Commanders offensive assistant Wes Welker works with Chig Okonkwo at minicamp. | HTTR4LIFE LLC

The Washington Commanders announced they were parting ways with tight ends coach Ben Steele Monday morning, just a couple of days before the start of training camp. While the timing of the dismissal is odd, the reasoning is clear: according to The Athletic, Steele was dismissed for violating team policy after being arrested June 7 on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.

With the first practice of training camp on Wednesday morning, Washington does not have much time to conduct a conventional hiring process. Commanders head coach Dan Quinn is expected to announce Steele’s replacement Tuesday.

This likely means the team will either go with Wes Welker, who handled the tight ends during minicamp, or call on David Raih to assume that role again. Raih was the tight ends coach for the Commanders the last two seasons and was promoted to passing game coordinator early this year. His knowledge of the roster makes him a leading candidate if the team goes in a different internal direction from Welker.

Of course, they could split the role if needed, or have one or the other take over until they can make a permanent decision later.

Back at #Commanders mini camp. Tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo getting some work in with offensive assistant Wes Welker pic.twitter.com/vmRelOxCMO

— Martenzie Johnson (@10zJohnson) June 17, 2026

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