With the Washington Commanders set to announce David Blough and Daronte Jones on Tuesday, could one assistant be on his way out and another on his way in?
The Washington Commanders are set to officially meet with local media on Tuesday with a 1 PM press conference set to introduce David Blough, new offensive coordinator, and Daronte Jones, new defensive coordinator. But head coach Dan Quinn also enters the press conference with uncertainty as to who will round out the rest of the staff.
Washington has already filled its quarterbacks and assistant quarterbacks coaching spots after bringing in DJ Williams and Danny Etling, while the team made a pair of internal moves to fill the offensive line and assistant offensive line coaching positions in 2026. Eric Henderson became the first defensive coach to join the staff after Daronte Jones was announced, heading back to the NFL after one season at USC.
But what about the rest of the staff?
For the second time within a 24 hour span, John Keim of ESPN noted the uncertainty around Brian Johnson's role on the staff moving forward after he was passed over for the offensive coordinator vacancy.
Johnson was also in the mix in the Denver Broncos offensive coordinator search before head coach Sean Payton turned to a promotion for Davis Webb just three days after news broke, but does that mean a return to Washington remains in play? For a staff that has inexperience questions on offense, Johnson would serve as the latest notable, yet understandable, departure if it does materialize as it's being speculated.
Johnson wrapped up his second season with the organization as the assistant head coach and offensive pass game coordinator after previously spending three seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, including as offensive coordinator in 2023. Prior to his time with Philadelphia, Johnson spent time coaching in the college ranks with stints at Utah, Mississippi State and Florida along with one season at Houston.
But is there a staffer who could find himself on the staff? Keim also pointed to Wes Welker, the former Patriots and longtime NFL receiver who has shifted to coaching and approaches his tenth year doing so, though he served as a personnel analyst with Washington in 2025. Whether Welker takes over the wide receiver room or serves as an assistant in the room, similar to Etling, is unclear, though he'd get a chance to build on his experience.
After beginning his coaching career in 2017 as an offensive and special teams assistant for two seasons with the Houston Texans, Welker transitioned to the wide receivers coach with the San Francisco 49ers for three seasons beginning in 2019 before taking the same role over the same span with the Miami Dolphins in 2022 where he was able to follow Mike McDaniel.
For a wide receiver room that needs a major upgrade in talent this offseason with Deebo Samuel set to depart while Noah Brown and Treylon Burks join the over 30 free agents this offseason, Welker's possible fit could add a jolt of optimism especially for its slot production given the former Patriots' reputation as a game-changing slot receiver.
Still, with Washington set to make its coordinator hires official, uncertainty remains around the makeup of the rest of the 2026 staff as head coach Dan Quinn looks to finalize over the next week.