That was fast.
Is that referencing the Washington Commanders acting quickly to replace former offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury or David Blough’s rapid rise from NFL quarterback to offensive coordinator?
Yes.
Though only two years into his coaching career, Blough, 30, will take over as OC, multiple sources told Last Man Standig on Friday night. The role opened when Washington moved on from Kingsbury on Tuesday after two seasons.
Despite the just-concluded disappointing 5-12 campaign, that decision shocked many in the fan base and the NFL universe, given that the offense fueled the Commanders’ run to the NFC Championship game in 2024. Choosing a green coach to help turn around Washington will come as quite a surprise to countless people outside the organization.
Coaches and teammates at various stops, including the Arizona Cardinals with Kingsbury, recognized the former Purdue standout’s sharp mind could lead to a coaching future.
“I think his biggest strengths are that he sees it from the lens of the player and yet he can kind of separate and still be the coach,” said Kingsbury, who credited Blough for a creative flea-flicker call at Baltimore in 2024.
Detroit, where the undrafted free agent played under former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, sought to interview the young coach for their OC vacancy. That interest helped speed up the Commanders’ plans, according to a source familiar with the situation. The Lions, Bears and Jets all tried luring Blough away following last season, but Washington prevented the young assistant from escaping.
Washington this week interviewed four additional candidates, according to a source: Assistant head coach and passing game coordinator Brian Johnson, tight end coach David Raih, Cowboys TE coach Lunda Wells and Cardinals WR coach/passing game coordinator Drew Terrell.
Blough, a five-year NFL veteran with seven career starts, wasn’t sure if he would kick off his coaching career at the high school, college or pro level. Once he spent time with Washington, “I began to think I could do this at this level,” Blough told me late in the 2024 season.
He joined Washington as an assistant quarterback coach in 2024, part of head coach Dan Quinn’s plan for a deep crew. Not only to help rookie Jayden Daniels, but also to have coaching contingency plans on staff.
Blough took on additional responsibilities when QB coach Tavita Pritchard left in December to become Stanford’s head coach.
“When opportunities are there for a guy to elevate, like Tavita, we've got a good succession plan in place,” Quinn said, “and David would be a big part of that.”
Washington fans have lamented that the organization allowed a plethora of future head coaches to leave following the 2013 season. That included Kyle Shanahan, Matt LaFleur and Mike McDaniel. That trio eventually landed in Atlanta, where Quinn served as head coach. McDaniel was fired by the Dolphins on Thursday following four seasons as head coach, and his connection with Quinn vaulted his name into the public conversation for the Commanders’ opening.
After the Falcons represented the NFC in the 2016 season Super Bowl, Shanahan was named OC for the San Francisco 49ers. Quinn, thinking LaFleur, now head coach of the Green Bay Packers, and McDaniel were too green, didn’t prevent the young assistants from leaving. He was intent on learning from that experience with Blough.
That quarterback Jayden Daniels is a Blough fan is no mere coincidence. Along with Kingsbury and Pritchard moving on, backup quarterbacks Marcus Mariota and Josh Johnson are free agents. Rather than let the QB room completely change over entering Daniels’ third season, Washington kept one of his trusted guides.
Washington should logically add a veteran coach/former play-caller to the staff as a mentor for Blough, since Quinn’s expertise is with the defense. Johnson, Philadelphia’s offensive coordinator in 2023, is an option for those duties.
How the offense will look won’t be clear until perhaps Week 1 of the 2026 regular season. Expectations are that the scheme will marry the run and pass in ways that closely mirror Johnson’s system while keeping the elements from Kingsbury’s attack that helped Daniels earn 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. Ultimately, Blough, inconsultation with Quinn, will be the one calling the shots.
“I’ve seen a lot of good ideas and a lot of different ways to [run an offense,” Blough said in 2024. “As I’ve started this journey, some of the best advice I’ve been given is that you have to find out what you believe in.”
