Jan. 12, 2026, 11:42 p.m. ET
The Washington Commanders surprised the NFL world by parting ways with offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury last week. The Commanders interviewed five candidates to replace Kingsbury before quickly promoting assistant quarterbacks coach David Blough. It was a rapid rise up the coaching ladder for Blough, who has only been a coach for two years after his playing career ended in 2023.
Blough is considered a future star in the coaching world. Kingsbury, Bears coach Ben Johnson and Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell are among the offensive coaches who’ve praised Blough. There were several reasons why Washington coach Dan Quinn promoted Blough, wuth one being his relationship with quarterback Jayden Daniels.
But who would Blough hire for his staff? It appears he’s zeroing in on a new quarterbacks coach. Per Jordan Schultz, the Commanders requested an with Panthers assistant quarterbacks coach Mike Bercovici.
Bercovici, like Blough, is a former college quarterback who also played in the NFL. While Blough appeared in nine games, making seven starts, Bercovici spent parts of two seasons in the NFL, with the Chargers and Cardinals, but did not appear in a game. As soon as his playing career ended, Bercovici began his coaching career at Arizona State, his alma mater, serving as a graduate assistant in 2019.
It was during that year that Bercovici met a young freshman quarterback named Jayden Daniels. Bercovici mentored Daniels for that one season before accepting an entry-level position on the Arizona Cardinals’ staff. Arizona’s head coach: Kliff Kingsbury. Blough was a quarterback on Arizona’s roster that season. So, Bercovici has connections to Daniels and Blough, in addition to Kingsbury.
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Bercovici has been lauded for his work with Panthers quarterback Bryce Young. After initially looking like a bust, Young has turned his career around under head coach Dave Canales and Bercovici.
If the Commanders can land Bercovici, it’s another connection to Daniels, who is looking to rebound in 2026 after a season in which he missed 10 games due to multiple injuries.