In the midst of an eventful edition of the annual “coaching carousel” in the NFL, a certain Boilermaker alum was the centre of league-wide attention.
On Jan. 10, the Washington Commanders made an unexpected move with promoting assistant quarterbacks coach David Blough to their offensive coordinator position. At 30, Blough is one of the youngest playcallers in the league.
Blough spent four seasons with Purdue, during which he made his way to second on the all-time school list for most passing yards and passing touchdowns behind Hall of Famer Drew Brees. He was a two-time team captain during his time at West Lafayette, and the highlight of his career came in 2018 when Purdue pulled off one of the greatest moments in school history in a monstrous 49-20 upset win over the then-ranked No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes.
Purdue quarterback David Blough talks his speech and how he knew Tyler Trent.
Jordan Louie | Senior Photographer
On Feb. 15, 2024, Blough was hired by the Commanders as their assistant quarterbacks coach under Head coach Dan Quinn, reuniting with offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury who was his head coach while playing for the Cardinals. He is not the only Boilermaker on the staff, as Purdue legend Ryan Kerrigan serves as an assistant linebackers coach.
During the 2025 offseason, the New York Jets requested an interview with Blough, which was denied by Washington. Later in the season, Commanders quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard accepted the head coaching position for the Stanford Cardinals. Subsequently, Blough served as the interim quarterbacks coach for the final four games of the year.
The Commanders opened this offseason by parting ways with Kingsbury, who has been their playcaller for the past two seasons. Around the same time, Blough was named as a potential candidate for the vacant offensive coordinator position on the Detroit Lions.
Quinn, who has had several of his assistant coaches leave in the past to become prominent figures in football (Kyle Shanahan to the San Francisco 49ers, Steve Sarkisian to the Texas Longhorns), decided to make his move first time and promote Blough to offensive coordinator before any other team had the chance to do so.
Blough will have an immense amount of pressure on him, as this will be his first time directly calling plays on the biggest stage. Moreover, he will be expected to help resume the development of 2024 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and Commanders 2nd overall pick quarterback Jayden Daniels, who will be looking to bounce back after an injury-plagued 2025 campaign.
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