He got most things right as offensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders last season, but that hasn’t stopped Kliff Kingsbury from coming up with a new plan for 2025. A plan that’s been seen “a lot” during training camp and Week 1 of the preseason, and a strategy that can provide the Commanders with “more versatility.”
It revolves around the “pistol” formation, something one reader asked Commanders.com Senior Writer Zach Selby about on Tuesday, August 12. Selby’s answer didn’t necessarily clarify if increased use of the pistol “is something they actively want to implement this season or if it was just a ploy for the Patriots.”
He was referring to how the Commanders lined up during the 48-18 loss to the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. It was their first exhibition game this season, and Selby doesn’t “foresee it being used as much as it was in New England.”
Yet, Selby can “see some advantages to it; the formation allows for more versatility and makes it more difficult for defenses to guess the play. It also allows running backs to get a running start before taking a handoff, and considering how successful the run game was last year, it’s logical for the Commanders to find ways to maximize that.”
Those advantages are considerable for an offense led by dual-threat quarterback Jayden Daniels. His rushing skills are best served from the pistol, so despite Selby’s reservations, the formation could be here to stay.
‘Pistol’ Formation Makes Sense for Commanders
Selby pointed to Week 2’s preseason encounter against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday, August 18 as the true barometer of how tethered the Commanders are to the pistol. It would make sense for Kingsbury to continue experimenting with a formation that better suits Daniels and key skill players.
The pistol, a short shotgun alignment where the QB is “aligned about four yards behind the center with the back three yards behind the quarterback,” per Dan Pizzuta for The 33rd Team, is ideal for a signal-caller able to beat defenses on the ground and through the air.
As SB Nation’s Joseph Acosta put it, “by keeping the running back behind the QB as if you’re under center, you can still do some of the same types of runs such as power and counter, with the vision still being the same for the RB. It’s the best of both worlds, a mixture of the shotgun passing elements of modern football and the run-pass option, while getting ballcarriers to the hole quicker with run game concepts that are common from under center.”
A great example of this dynamic in practice occurred when Chris Rodriguez Jr. scored a rushing touchdown against the Tennessee Titans last season, on a play Last of the Fullbacks described as “Inside Zone from 13 personnel Pistol.”
More of the same should follow for Daniels in Year 2 because, as Acosta continued, “your mobile QB will love the pistol offense, because it allows you to use his legs much like the shotgun offense, while keeping the under center run game concepts in the tuck.”
Commanders fans have seen something like this before. Notably when Robert Griffin III was NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year as a rushing and deep-throwing sensation in 2012.
Daniels, who has already done the OROY bit, is arguably Griffin’s equal as a runner, but he’s a more accomplished passer than RG3, so he would use the pistol in more expansive ways. Yet, the biggest positive is what the formation means for those who share the backfield with Daniels.
Kliff Kingsbury Needs New Plan for More Dynamic Runners
The rapid emergence of dynamic 2025 NFL draft seventh-round pick Jacory Croskey-Merritt gives the Commanders a different threat in the running game. One based upon greater speed and cutting ability.
Croskey-Merritt showed off these skills during the lopsided loss to the Patriots. This carry, highlighted by Fantasy Football Today’s Jacob Gibbs, showcased more sudden, one-cut-and-go potential with Croskey-Merritt in the lineup.
The play, run out of the pistol, is a notable example of what leaning into the formation can mean for the Commanders. Similar possibilities exist whenever All-Pro wide receiver Deebo Samuel moves into the backfield.
Doubling up as an explosive running back made Samuel a star for the San Francisco 49ers. He hasn’t done much of the same yet for the Commanders, but it’s unlikely Kingsbury will waste the full range of Samuel’s talents.
Hiding Samuel behind Daniels in a formation designed to deepen the guessing game for defenses, would lead to multiple big plays in both phases for the Commanders. It’s one more reason to suppose Kingsbury is doing more than just tinkering with the formation for a specific opponent.
What’s more likely is the pistol is here to stay for Washington’s offense against the Bengals and beyond.
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