Jan. 22, 2026, 5:47 a.m. ET
The Washington Commanders are in the middle of a youth movement of sorts on the offensive side of the ball. After parting ways with offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury two weeks ago, Washington quickly promoted assistant quarterbacks coach David Blough to replace him. Blough is 30 years old with two years of coaching experience.
The Commanders also fired offensive line coach Bobby Johnson and replaced him with Darnell Stapleton, the assistant offensive line coach. Since Blough’s ascension, he has also hired D.J. Williams as quarterbacks coach, Danny Etling as assistant quarterbacks coach and Shane Toub as assistant offensive line coach.
Tight ends coach David Raih, assistant head coach/pass game coordinator Brian Johnson, wide receivers coach Bobby Engram and running backs coach/run game coordinator Anthony Lynn remain on staff, at least for the time being. Raih and Johnson interviewed for the offensive coordinator opening that went to Blough.
It’s possible that Raih and Johnson depart. Raih could follow Kingsbury to his next destination, while Johnson could feel slighted that the Commanders chose Blough over him. But the coach to watch is Lynn.
On Wednesday, the Buffalo Bills requested permission to interview Lynn for their head coaching vacancy. Lynn, the former head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, was an assistant coach for the Bills from 2015-16 and a finalist for their head coaching job, which went to Sean McDermott. Lynn finished with a 33-31 record as the Chargers’ coach.
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If Washington lost Lynn, it would be a huge loss. Not only does he bring the much-needed veteran experience the offensive staff lacks, but he’s also tremendous at putting the run game together. He will be a huge asset for Blough if the Commanders can keep him.
But if Lynn left, it could be good for general manager Adam Peters. Why? The Commanders would receive two third-round compensatory selections, one in each of the next two drafts, for having one of their minority assistant coaches land a head coaching job. Everyone knows how badly Washington needs more draft picks.
What’s more important, though? Keeping a valued assistant like Lynn around to work with Blough and running backs, or getting multiple future draft picks?
The Bills just fired Sean McDermott on Monday and appear to have just begun the hiring process, so it could play out for a week or two.