Arguably the most underrated tight ends coach in the NFL is now off the market after joining Dan Quinn’s staff with the Washington Commanders. Ben Steele, who directly oversaw Trey McBride’s rise over the last three years with the Arizona Cardinals, will now be running the tight end room in the nation’s capital.
Steele has been unemployed since the Cardinals fired Jonathan Gannon in January, making him a free agent. He came to terms with the Commanders on Friday, NFL insider Tom Pelissero reported.
Steele joined the Cardinals as part of Gannon’s inaugural staff, ahead of McBride’s second season. In his first year in Arizona, Steele helped McBride improve from 265 receiving yards as a rookie to 825 in year two, before fully breaking out with 1,146 receiving yards in 2024.
Steele will assume the position previously held by David Raih, who has been with the team since 2024 and was recently promoted to pass game coordinator.
Before signing with the Cardinals, Steele had stops as the tight ends coach of the Atlanta Falcons and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He also previously served as an offensive line coach for the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions.
Steele now takes over the Commanders’ tight end room amid a transition phase. Though Washington has not yet given up on Zach Ertz, despite his ongoing ACL recovery, the team intends to sign another veteran in free agency to potentially pair with its 35-year-old captain.
Rising third-year Ben Sinnott and blocking specialist John Bates currently make up the team’s tight end group ahead of free agency. Neither Sinnott nor Bates has made much of an impact in the passing game thus far, though that could potentially change under Steele.
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