Jan. 14, 2026, 11:12 p.m. ET
The Washington Commanders are hiring D.J. Williams as their new quarterbacks coach.
Williams is the son of former Washington Redskins quarterback Doug Williams, who was voted the Super Bowl MVP in Super Bowl XXII when the Redskins ran all over the Denver Broncos 42-10, becoming the 1987 NFL champions.
Williams comes to Washington, replacing David Blough, who is with the Commanders and was hired last week as their new offensive coordinator, succeeding Kliff Kingsbury. Brian Johnson, who was also a college quarterback (Utah) and had coached quarterbacks at Mississippi State and Florida, was the offensive coordinator for the Eagles and was the passing game coordinator for the Commanders, and appears likely to move on. The Commanders have not yet revealed whom they interviewed for this position, or whether it was Blough’s choice.
We do know that Washington requested permission to interview Carolina assistant quarterbacks coach Mike Bercovici. The 32-year-old Bercovici began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Arizona State in 2019 when Jayden Daniels was a freshman quarterback for the Sun Devils. It’s unknown if Bercovici actually interviewed with Washington.
The Commanders need veteran offensive coaches around Blough, who is only 30 and was the quarterbacks coach for only two weeks. The hiring of Williams certainly does not answer that need. Perhaps the passing game coordinator will have more experience, upon which Blough and Jayden Daniels can lean at times?
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D.J. began coaching in 2017 with the New Orleans Saints, working in the coaches and football operations department for the 2017 and 2018 seasons. He held the position of offensive assistant from 2019 through 2023. Williams then moved to Atlanta and served as the Falcons’ quarterbacks coach in 2024 and 2025, working with Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix.
After playing quarterback at Tampa Catholic High School, Williams, spent one year at Hargrave Military Academy prepping to go like is father, and play his college football at Grambling State (2011-2014). Doug was actually the head coach at Grambling at this time and D.J. became the starting quarterback.