The Washington Commanders are set to open training camp on July 29 ahead of the 2026 season. But just before camp gets underway, the organization has been making several changes behind the scenes. After reshaping parts of the roster earlier this week, the Commanders have now unexpectedly parted ways with tight ends coach Ben Steele. The team announced the move in a post on X.

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

After the news of Steele parting ways with the team was released, ESPN reported that the former Commanders coach had been arrested for DWI almost a month ago.

The incident occurred on June 7 in Loudoun County, Virginia. According to Loudoun County General District Court, Steele was charged after he was observed to “change course after signal.”

Obstruction/resisting without force was the other charge on Steele. The court documents also suggest that the former Commanders coach refused a blood/breath test. He was released on his own recognizance, which means the matter is still not closed, and there could be further development in the coming weeks.

Considering the Commanders have refused to make any further comments on Steele’s firing, we can expect to hear more on the matter from head coach Dan Quinn in the coming days.

The Commanders hired Steele earlier this offseason to take charge of the team’s tight ends. Before arriving in Washington, he spent three seasons with the Arizona Cardinals from 2023 to 2025 as their tight ends coach. A former NFL tight end himself, Steele played for six NFL franchises during his career and also spent time with the NFL Europe side Frankfurt Galaxy.

After his playing career ended, Steele transitioned into coaching and eventually made his way to the NFL. Over a coaching career spanning more than a decade, he served with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons, Minnesota Vikings, Denver Broncos, and Cardinals, primarily in assistant coaching roles before moving to Washington.

That said, this is just the latest notable development out of Washington ahead of training camp. Earlier, the Commanders placed cornerback Trey Amos, defensive ends Dorance Armstrong and Deatrich Wise Jr. on the Active/Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, while cornerback Fred Davis II was placed on the Active/Non-Football Illness list.

It remains unclear why the Commanders decided to part ways with their tight ends coach. However, one thing clear is that this is not a good sign for a team who are trying to get back into the postseason.