When Washington hired Ben Steele five months ago, it came with a high-stakes vision. Expected to replicate the success he had with Arizona Cardinals’ young star Trey McBride, Steele was supposed to be Dan Quinn’s tight end whisperer. But then… OTAs happened. Mandatory minicamp arrived. Media watched practices. Beat reporters took attendance. And yet… Steele wasn’t there. 

At the time, Steele’s absence drew little attention, and former All-Pro receiver Wes Welker had already stepped in instead, doing the job for Steele. It was only after Monday’s announcement that we realised: He had already coached his last practice weeks earlier. Only this Monday morning did Washington release a short statement notifying the coaching change: 

“We are parting ways with tight ends coach Ben Steele. The team will have no further comment at this time,” the post on X read.

While the Commanders may not have revealed the reason for Steele’s firing, The Athletic reported it was due to a violation of team policy.

Sure, the organization never elaborated on what policy Steele had violated, but the timeline was there to fill in the blanks. Virginia court records show the 48-year-old was arrested on June 7 after a Loudoun County Sheriff’s deputy pulled him over around 1:15 a.m. near the Commanders’ facility. The initial stop stemmed from what authorities described as a traffic infraction, changing course after signalling, but the encounter soon escalated beyond that.

According to the arrest affidavit, the deputy observed Steele drifting within his lane with his right turn signal still activated while travelling well below the posted speed limit. After initiating the stop, the officer reported that Steele displayed several signs of intoxication, including glassy, bloodshot eyes, slurred and confused speech, and what was described as a strong odour of alcohol.

The affidavit further states that Steele repeatedly declined the deputy’s requests to step out of his vehicle, prompting the officer to remove him from the car. Authorities allege Steele resisted those efforts without using force before refusing to submit to a roadside breath test. Court records later showed he provided a blood sample that registered a blood alcohol concentration of 0.214%, more than twice Virginia’s legal limit of 0.08%.

Beyond the driving while intoxicated charge, Steele also faces misdemeanour charges for refusing a breath test and obstructing or resisting an officer without force. He is scheduled to appear before Loudoun County General District Court on August 13, with the legal proceedings still ongoing. Steele informed the franchise of his arrest, and Washington’s response had begun well before Monday’s announcement.

The Commanders placed him on administrative leave and notified the NFL, according to multiple reports. That decision explained why offensive assistant Wes Welker had been overseeing the tight ends throughout mandatory minicamp, with pass game coordinator David Raih also helping the position group during Steele’s absence.

The dismissal also brought an abrupt end to what had initially looked like one of Washington’s more intriguing offseason coaching additions. Steele arrived after three seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, where he earned praise for helping develop McBride. Under Steele’s watch, McBride’s production climbed dramatically, culminating in an NFL single-season record for receptions by a tight end with 126 catches in 2025.

That reputation was precisely what Washington hoped to bring into Ashburn this offseason. Steele had been hired to replace Raih as the Commanders’ tight ends coach and was expected to play a key role in the offensive staff assembled under Dan Quinn and first-year offensive coordinator David Blough. 

Instead, his tenure ended before he could coach a single training camp practice with the franchise.