The Washington Commanders have reportedly added former Purdue and LSU quarterback Danny Etling to its offensive staff under offensive coordinator David Blough
The Washington Commanders have filled a second vacancy on its offensive staff.
With David Blough elevated to offensive coordinator last week and DJ Williams hired as new quarterbacks coach earlier this week, the organization has now reportedly filled Blough's initial position with Danny Etling joining the Commanders as the new assistant quarterbacks coach.
Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports was first to report the news, giving the Commanders clarity in the room that will be led by Jayden Daniels ahead of his third season. This also marks the first coaching role for Etling in the NFL, adding to inexperience questions along the early makeup of the offensive staff.
Etling played seven seasons in the NFL, largely on practice squads, after being drafted with the 219th overall pick in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots.
Etling was waived ahead of the season opener and was placed on the Patriots practice squad where he won a Super Bowl ring as a rookie, before being claimed off waivers by the Atlanta Falcons ahead of the 2019 season. Following a midseason injury to Matt Ryan, now serving as the Falcons' president of football, Etling was elevated to the active roster and served as QB2 for one game. Etling was also briefly signed to the Minnesota Vikings and played on the practice squad for the Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos and Green Bay Packers in 2021 before ending the season on the Jacksonville Jaquars' practice squad.
Etling also spent one month with the BC Lions in 2021 and ended his career with the Michigan Panthers in the United States Football League (USFL).
He began his college career at Purdue where he entered his freshman season in a quarterback battle before taking over in 2014, then being benched midway through the season. He then sat out in 2015 after transferring to LSU, per NCAA rules, then started 23 of the Tigers' next 25 games where he posted a 16-7 record and threw for over 4,500 yards and 27 touchdowns to seven interceptions.
While Etling did not overlap with DJ Williams during his playing or early coaching career, he did briefly overlap with Blough at Purdue during Blough's redshirt freshman season as Etling opened the 2014 season as the starter before playing in five games.
The latest hire also solidifies the coaching staff in the quarterback room with Etling joining Williams as assistants under Blough, but how the rest of the staff materializes remains a question mark due to the ongoing coaching carousel. The big question, of course, is the ongoing defensive coordinator search with several candidates in the midst of interviews while some eye head coaching opportunities.