Jan. 16, 2026, 5:09 a.m. ET

The Washington Commanders are busy interviewing candidates to fill the role of defensive coordinator. There are multiple candidates that Washington still wants to interview who are currently unavailable. Fortunately for the Commanders, their offensive coordinator search ended shortly after it began, when they promoted David Blough from assistant quarterbacks coach.

When Washington parted ways with Kingsbury, Blough’s promotion wasn’t as surprising as you’d think. Head coach Dan Quinn chose not to wait for his buddy, Mike McDaniel, to finish his head coaching interviews, instead promoting Blough. The Detroit Lions were interested in hiring Blough as their offensive coordinator. The Commanders wasted no time in promoted Blough, who has drawn praise from Quinn, Kingsbury, Bears coach Ben Johnson and Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell.

Now, Quinn must help surround Blough with some veteran staff additions. Will assistant head coach & offensive pass game coordinator Brian Johnson remain after being passed over in favor of Blough? What about tight ends coach David Raih?

Blough did make his first staff hire this week, bringing aboard D.J. Williams to serve as Washington’s new quarterbacks coach. Williams is the son of Washington legend Doug Williams, who still works in the front office. Williams was the Falcons’ quarterbacks coach for the past two seasons and also spent time with the Saints, working as a young assistant on Sean Payton’s staff.

While Johnson and Raih may depart, there is one Washington assistant coach it can’t afford to lose: Run game coordinator/running backs coach Anthony Lynn.

Expert NFL picks: Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.

Lynn, a former NFL running back and head coach, has been in the NFL for 34 consecutive years, dating back to his playing days. He’s done everything. He’s seen everything and is considered one of the NFL’s top running back coaches. When Washington hired Lynn in 2024, it hoped he would help marry the run game with Kingsbury’s Air Raid offense. While the Commanders had success running the ball, much of it was dependent on quarterback Jayden Daniels.

Part of why Quinn and Kingsbury parted ways was Washington’s insistence on a more traditional running game, something like the 49ers’ approach, with zone blocking and more snaps with the quarterback under center. That’s where Lynn comes in. Lynn is considered an excellent run-game designer, and the Commanders are turning to a more traditional offense under Blough. While Blough worked under Kingsbury, he’s expected to run an offense similar to what the Bears do with Ben Johnson, with some Kingsbury and Kevin O’Connell concepts mixed in, too.

Lynn spent two seasons in San Francisco as an assistant head coach and running backs coach before coming to Washington. He was also in Detroit when Johnson was on staff and when Blough was a quarterback. There are ties there.

Lynn also had two stints playing under Mike Shanahan and began his career on his coaching staff with Denver. He’s well-versed in what Washington wants to do with the running game and play-action passing game.

It’s unclear what Lynn’s contract status is, but he’s one of the Commanders’ current coaches whom they should prioritize retaining. Washington must still hire an offensive line coach, but keeping Lynn around could be equally important for Blough’s transition.