Jan. 10, 2026, 5:31 a.m. ET

The Washington Commanders have a new offensive coordinator. On Friday, Washington promoted assistant quarterbacks coach David Blough to replace Kliff Kingsbury, who mutually parted ways with the organization earlier in the week.

Washington reportedly interviewed five candidates to replace Kingsbury, including three internal candidates: Blough, assistant head coach/offensive pass game coordinator Brian Johnson and tight ends coach David Raih. From outside the organization, the Commanders interviewed Cowboys tight ends coach Lunda Wells and Cardinals wide receivers coach Drew Terrell.

When the Dolphins fired head coach Mike McDaniel on Thursday, he was immediately linked to the Commanders due to his relationship with head coach Dan Quinn. However, teams were interested in interviewing McDaniel as a head coach and Washington chose not to wait.

What does Blough’s hire mean for the Commanders? Here are six takeaways from the hiring.

The Lions were serious about hiring Blough

Several coaches around the NFL know that Blough is a special young coach. Multiple teams tried to hire him away from the Commanders last season, his first year as a coach. However, he had two stints with the Lions, including from 2019-21 and in 2023 on the practice squad. Dan Campbell took over as Detroit’s head coach in 2021 and knew Blough well. The Lions put in a request to interview Blough for their offensive coordinator vacancy. There was a chance they could hire Blough as OC and Campbell could initially call plays until he felt Blough was ready. The Commanders were not taking that chance. There’s a good chance that if Washington had waited on McDaniel, Blough would be in Detroit.

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Again, Washington could not afford to wait on McDaniel. While McDaniel holds Quinn in high regard, he could be interviewing for multiple head coaching vacancies. He will interview with the Titans next week, and the Browns reportedly want to speak to him, too. He could also be a candidate with the Ravens and the Raiders. With several other candidates on playoff teams, this could’ve dragged on for weeks. Quinn wisely chose not to wait, going with his gut and promoting Blough. There was a chance McDaniel would agree to come to Washington, but the Lions also want to speak with him about their OC position. McDaniel could also be a candidate with the Buccaneers or any of the other teams that will hire a new head coach. McDaniel had options. McDaniel would’ve been perfect for the Commanders for a variety of reasons. Washington wisely did not take the risk.

Dan Quinn learned from past mistakes

When Kyle Shanahan left the Falcons to take the head coaching position with the 49ers in 2017, he took his offensive staff with him. Quinn allowed Shanahan to take Matt LaFleur and McDaniel, among others, with him. It’s a mistake he often regretted. He never experienced the same offensive success once Shanahan left. Had he kept and promoted one of the future head coaches, he would’ve had continuity for Matt Ryan and the offense. Neither Steve Sarkisian nor Dirk Koetter came close to matching Shanahan’s success. Quinn wanted to maintain some continuity with Kingsbury gone, and Blough allows him to do that. Most importantly, Quinn didn’t want to let a future coaching star get out of the building. That’s something Quinn and the Washington organization know all too well.

Dan Quinn puts his future on the line

Make no mistake, Quinn made a ballsy move. He knows he’s on thin ice after sweeping out both coordinators going into year three and coming off a 5-12 season. No one cares about that 12-5 season and NFC Championship appearance in 2024 now. That’s a distant memory. So, to take a chance on a 30-year-old coach who has never called plays before is a massive roll of the dice. Additionally, taking a chance on someone who has only been a coach for 2 years is a massive risk. That tells you what Quinn thinks of Blough. He doesn’t make this move unless he believes it will work. He’s also counting on GM Adam Peters to give Daniels another big-time weapon or two this offseason.

There’s also another risk. You know, in the back of Quinn’s mind, if this does work, the Commanders will not want to lose Blough and could eventually promote him and fire Quinn. It’s not been a move NFL teams have made yet, but it will come at some point. Washington faced a similar dilemma in 2017 with Jay Gruden and Sean McVay. Gruden did not deserve to be fired, but it was clear to everyone that McVay was a future superstar. Could Blough follow a similar trajectory? For now, that’s a risk worth taking for Quinn.

Jayden Daniels’ effect

Daniels wanted Kliff Kingsbury back. You can’t blame him. But Daniels is a coach’s dream. He will be there and work hard, regardless of who is coaching him. Oh, did we tell you that he loves Blough? Daniels and Blough play PIG every Friday during the season, a game similar to HORSE in basketball. It brings out the competitive side in both, but also shows their close bond. Washington didn’t promote Blough to appease Daniels, but it helps. It’s more about keeping some things the same for the young quarterback, who is coming off a difficult season. He lost Kingsbury and QB coach Tavita Pritchard. He could also lose his mentor, Marcus Mariota. The Commanders are hoping this pairing will be together for years to come. It has the potential. You can bet Daniels was thrilled with Friday’s news.

Offensive style

There are some who are asking: “Why promote Kingsbury’s assistant to run his offense and not just keep Kingsbury?” That’s not going to be the case here. Blough played for Ben Johnson, Kevin O’Connell and Kingsbury. Those are three of the NFL’s top offensive play-callers. Johnson and Kingsbury have both praised Blough for suggesting plays to attack specific coverages while he was a player. The idea here is that Blough can keep some of the components of Kingsbury’s fast-paced, no-huddle offense, blending with Johnson’s and O’Connell’s ability to have a power running game, use play action and have Daniels play under center more. Daniels under center could be lethal, especially with a dynamic running back behind him. While it will be several months before we see Washington’s new-look offense, that’s the goal. Also, Johnson and O’Connell employ a zone blocking scheme, which should benefit the Commanders’ athletic offensive line. It will be interesting to see who Blough brings aboard as his offensive line coach.