Jan. 20, 2026, 1:00 a.m. ET<\/p>\n
The Washington Commanders<\/a> made a bold move on Monday, promoting assistant offensive line coach Darnell Stapleton<\/a> to offensive line coach. This comes less than two weeks after head coach Dan Quinn promoted assistant quarterbacks coach David Blough<\/a> to offensive coordinator.<\/p>\n Why is this a bold move? Blough had only two years of coaching experience when he was promoted. While many around the NFL, including everyone in Washington’s building, believe the former NFL quarterback is a future coaching star, the 30-year-old had led only a position group for a couple of weeks late in the 2025 season, after Tavita Pritchard left to become Stanford’s head coach.<\/p>\n Many believed that after firing offensive line coach Bobby Johnson and parting ways with offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, the Commanders<\/a> would look to bring in an experienced voice for Blough. Last week, Blough also hired former college teammate Danny Etling<\/a> as the assistant quarterbacks coach, after hiring D.J. Williams<\/a> to be the new quarterbacks coach.<\/p>\n Washington reportedly likes Stapleton’s ability to develop players, and he received internal praise for first-round pick Josh Conerly’s growth as a rookie in 2025. Stapleton and Blough worked together as assistant position coaches and are said to have a strong rapport.<\/p>\n Will this work for Washington? Only time will tell. Quinn is betting his future on it.<\/p>\n