David Blough continued his rapid rise through the NFL coaching ranks on Saturday when he was named the offensive coordinator of the Washington Commanders.Â
The Commanders were left searching for a new offensive coordinator after missing the playoffs this season with Kliff Kingsbury’s exit to pursue other opportunities earlier this week.
The franchise has wasted no time in securing his replacement, confirming on Saturday that they have appointed Blough to the position.Â
The 30-year-old former quarterback has been promoted to the role after serving as Washington’s assistant quarterbacks coach for the past two seasons.Â
Blough entered the role swiftly after hanging up his cleats in 2023 and just two years later has already ascended up the ranks in the nation’s capital.Â
During this past season, he stepped in as interim quarterbacks coach late on after Tavita Pritchard departed for Stanford.
David Blough has been promoted to the Washington Commanders’ offensive coordinatorÂ
The appointment comes after Kliff Kingsbury and the Commanders parted ways this weekÂ
The Detroit Lions had shown interest in Blough’s services with the coach having spent four seasons in Motor City as a backup quarterback under Ben Johnson, Kevin O’Connell and Kingsbury.Â
A former Purdue standout quarterback, Blough went undrafted in 2019 and had stints with the Browns, Lions, Vikings and Cardinals in the NFL.
He appeared in nine games, starting seven and finishing his career with 1,435 passing yards, six touchdowns and nine interceptions with a 67.1 passer rating.Â
The move comes amid a major shakeup for Dan Quinn’s team with both Kingsbury and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. dismissed following the Commanders’ 5-12 finish to the season.Â
As first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Kingsbury met with head coach Dan Quinn on Tuesday and the two mutually agreed to part ways. There is a belief that Kingsbury could see head-coaching opportunities, although a strong suitor has yet to emerge.
Kingsbury had a successful first season in Washington after coming over from USC in 2024 as Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels went on to win Rookie of the Year honors. But with Daniels’ injury issues in 2025, not to mention health problems along the line, the offense sputtered and finished 22nd in both scoring and yardage.
Ultimately the Commanders finished 5-12, missing the postseason after reaching the NFC Championship last season.
Daniels was supportive of Kingsbury when speaking about his now-former coordinator with media on Monday.
Commanders head coach Dan Quinn will remain in charge of the defense heading into 2026
‘I love working with Kliff,’ Daniels told reporters. ‘Me and him have a special relationship. We’ve built that over the past two years. I wish I was out there more to play for him this past year.’
The team is also parting ways with Whitt Jr., which was expected after he was stripped of play-calling duties in Week 11. The Commanders surrendered more yards than any team in the NFL in 2025.
Whitt is one of three NFC East defensive coordinators to be fired this week, along with the Dallas Cowboys’ Matt Eberflus and the New York Giants’ Shane Bowen.
As is the case on offense, there’s not a clear favorite for the defensive coordinator position in Washington.
Share or comment on this article:
Former NFL quarterback continues meteoric coaching rise as he lands offensive coordinator job