After officially announcing David Blough as the Washington Commanders new offensive coordinator on Saturday, insight into why head coach Dan Quinn made the move.
With head coach Dan Quinn opting to replace both coordinators from the 2025 season, the Washington Commanders filled one of those spots after reports broke on Friday evening that quarterbacks coach David Blough would be elevated to offensive coordinator.
Blough now takes the coordinator title in just his third year of coaching - all with Washington - in what could be the riskiest move in the two years under Dan Quinn. While Blough stepped into an elevated role in the Commanders offense after Tavita Pritchard departed to become the next head coach at Stanford, it's what else could have happened that reportedly also factored into the Commanders' decision making.
"The Commanders could look at it and say, to them, just as big a gamble was letting him leave the building and that's a big part of why Blough is now the coordinator because Detroit definitely showed interest in him," ESPN's John Keim said on his podcast.
What is intriguing about Blough's profile is in addition to his age and ability to connect with players, it's his experience playing under other successful offensive coaches both around the league and at Purdue under Jeff Brohm.
But is it enough for Blough to call plays? And more importantly, how does Blough fare if he indeed does become the play-caller as it appears?
Blough has been viewed as a realistic candidate to replace Kliff Kingsbury as in the end, he was one of three internal interviews alongside tight ends coach David Raih and passing game coordinator Brian Johnson.
The hot name among fans was Mike McDaniel, the former Dolphins head coach who officially became available on Thursday to materialize into one of the hottest names in the coaching carousel. The connections between McDaniel and head coach Dan Quinn are clear after the two worked together in Atlanta with McDaniel on Quinn's staff, while McDaniel previously pointed to Quinn as a key influence in turning his life around.
A reunion with McDaniel and Quinn in Washington was no doubt viewed as a "match made in heaven," as Roundtable's George Carmi wrote this week, but there was risk in the pursuit. McDaniel is expected to interview with the Tennessee Titans, one of eight teams currently with a head coaching vacancy, with the expectation that he will be in-demand for a head coaching job.
Staying patient to see whether that head coaching job materialized risked thinning out the Commanders' available options, but more importantly, it risked watching its top internal candidate depart the organization as others like Sean McVay and Matt LeFleur through the years.
Whether it proves to be the right move is the question, but maybe the most overlooked aspect in the promotion is the stability it provides quarterback Jayden Daniels heading into his third season.
After watching Tavita Pritchard depart the organization midseason, the move that led to Blough's midseason promotion from assistant QB coach to QB coach, Daniels has now watched the only NFL coordinator he's known depart the organization. With Blough, there's a chance for continuity with Daniels and the offensive scheme as the new coordinator puts his twist, but whether it's the right move ahead of a pivotal year three for head coach Dan Quinn still remains a question mark.