Jan. 9, 2026Updated Jan. 10, 2026, 12:41 a.m. ET
Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn is hiring assistant quarterbacks coach David Blough as his new offensive coordinator, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
The question over the last two days was whether Dan Quinn would hire Mike McDaniel, who has experience as both an offensive coordinator and head coach. Or would Quinn hire the best young mind in his building, who does not yet have experience as an offensive coordinator?
Quinn has been in a tough spot this week with his choice to sever ties with Kliff Kinsbury. He needed to get an offensive coordinator soon, and yet there were teams with openings such as Miami, Baltimore, Tampa Bay and Detroit – all of whom have much better players at the skill positions. So, were these well-known candidates, including McDaniel, going to investigate those other opportunities first, leaving Quinn left to hire whoever was remaining?
Blough is a young man whom many have spoken highly of for his football IQ. To substantiate this, Lions head coach Dan Campbell showed very real interest in Blough, and many in the NFL media were quite aware that Blough might just follow Kingsbury wherever he went.
That is, had Kingsbury gotten a head coaching job, Blough would have been a logical hire for Kingsbury as his offensive coordinator.
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Blough was an NFL quarterback with the Detroit Lions from 2019-2021 and the Arizona Cardinals in 2022. He only appeared in nine NFL games, throwing six touchdown passes. But his professional rise has been more due to his work and intellect with coaches and quarterbacks.
He was an assistant QBs coach for the Commanders, then the interim QBs coach, and is now getting his first shot at being an offensive coordinator.