With week two of OTAs in full swing, Washington Commanders new offensive coordinator David Blough knows the traits the 2026 offense should show
The second week of OTAs gives the Washington Commanders a chance to ramp up the offseason installs on both sides of the ball for each new coordinator, but for David Blough, he has the benefit of doing so with pieces he's already plenty familiar with.
That goes the other way given the players have established a close camaraderie with the former assistant quarterbacks coach, such as Jayden Daniels' weekly accuracy competitions with Blough to close out Friday's practices. To head coach Dan Quinn, it's partly why he hasn't seen any difference from Blough as an assistant versus now as a coordinator, instead pointing to his "collaboration" with the offensive staff while noting, "he's a competitive guy."
"His ability to not just connect with quarterbacks, but with the entire offense as an entire group, he's clearly laid out the vision. We kind of hit on these identities regularly. And so, those are just a few of the things I've been excited about,” Quinn said.
For Blough, the "stimulating" part of his new role is adjusting to the unknown in the role, but that doesn't mean everything about the offense is unknown, like the offensive line returning four of its five starters from last season. The Commanders' first-year coordinator admitted the construction of the scheme officially began in January while turning to the "things that I had stored away from prior years" to install to his version of success.
It isn't all on Blough's shoulders, though. Blough himself pointed to passing game coordinator David Raih as one who "takes a lot off my plate" with one of the "most detailed" coaches fine-tuning an offense that remains far from a finished product.
While the shift to a traditional NFL offense with quarterback Jayden Daniels featured under center in the new system, Blough admitted "there's things that we did here that I really like" that will remain part of the Commanders' playbook. There will also be a unique aspect that will "make the '26 Commanders' offense our own" with the run game expected to become a more prominent part of the identity to set up the play action, along with an emphasis on Terry McLaurin's impact.
Plenty will change with the installs and pace only ramping up through the rest of the offseason into the preseason slate. Washington will welcome its third round of OTAs set to begin next Tuesday, June 9 before mandatory minicamp begins on June 16, but Blough still has a clear idea of what he wants the offense to look like with three traits sticking out above the rest.
"These guys taking care of the football, playing with good fundamentals, explosives and then being good in situational football."
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