Dan Quinn isn’t pretending Washington’s two first-time coordinators are walking into Week 1 with a perfect setup. He’s also not buying the idea that inexperience only hurts the Commanders.
With former quarterback David Blough running the offense and former Minnesota Vikings assistant Daronte Jones handling the defense, Washington will open the 2026 season with two play callers who have never done the job in a regular-season NFL game. That would normally be the glaring issue. Quinn, though, pointed to the other side of the equation: the Eagles won’t have a long trail of tendencies to dig through.
“I think there’s advantages for sure. As the season begins, there’s not a tendency; there’s not a ‘This is what he does on second down or third down, this is the scheme you know from years past.’
So those are the advantages,” Quinn said. “The disadvantages, obviously, just going through some of the experiences, as you know, just from like training camp and going through games to try to simulate as much as you can for play callers.
But there’s no getting around that. They’ve prepared, they’ve put the work in, and so they’re ready to get rolling.”
That’s the tension for Washington. New coordinators create uncertainty for opponents, but they also have to live through the first real stretch of NFL play-calling without a regular-season sample to lean on.
Quinn didn’t brush past that part, and he shouldn’t have. Simulation only goes so far once the games count.
The Commanders have made that uncertainty even more pronounced by completely reshaping the offense around Jayden Daniels this offseason. Blough is bringing back a more traditional play-action look, with the huddle returning, Daniels under center more often, and more responsibility placed on the quarterback at the line of scrimmage. A good chunk of the summer was spent installing the system instead of revealing it, which leaves opponents with less to study than usual.
Jones has taken a similar approach on defense. Washington has built the unit around disguise, using multiple fronts and different personnel combinations to force quicker decisions from opposing quarterbacks. That means Philadelphia may know the players better than it knows how Washington plans to use them once the real thing starts.
At the same time, there’s no way around the fact that neither Blough nor Jones has handled regular-season play-calling duties in the NFL. Quinn’s point was clear: the work has been done, but nothing fully recreates live game pressure.
Week 1 will be the first true test of how that balance plays out. Philadelphia will start piecing together tendencies as they appear, and Washington will begin learning how both coordinators respond when the Eagles adjust.
There will be growing pains somewhere along the way. For at least one week, though, the lack of a paper trail could be a real edge for Washington.
On the injury front, Odafe Oweh was on the field for walk-through practice Tuesday after Quinn said earlier in the week that the entire injured group was trending in the right direction. Oweh has been limited with a calf injury, and his status matters more now with Washington already thin on the edge.
Dorance Armstrong is suspended for Week 1, and K’Lavon Chaisson is also dealing with an injury. Chaisson has been managing a sore knee for a few weeks, and Washington still needs more clarity before Sunday to know exactly what its edge rotation will look like. For now, getting Oweh back into walk-throughs is at least a positive sign.
In Other News...
Commanders Just Added Receiver Depth That Could Matter Faster Than Expected
The Commanders added another layer to their receiver room by signing Van Jefferson Jr. to the practice squad as they turn the page into Week 1 prep. Jefferson had turned in a solid training camp, but he was the odd man out when Washington finalized its 53-man roster, with Luke McCaffrey getting the nod instead.
Even so, Jefferson never felt far from the picture, and this move gives Washington a familiar contingency if the position group gets hit by injuries or simply needs more production. For a roster still sorting out its early-season depth, it is the kind of addition that could matter sooner than expected. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Just Made Jaden Bradleys Early Path A Lot Tougher
The Commanders added another experienced receiver to the practice squad in Van Jefferson Jr., a move that gives Washington more depth behind its top pass catchers and subtly raises the bar for everyone else in the receiver room. For a young player like undrafted rookie Jaden Bradley, who also landed on the practice squad, it means the margin for earning attention just got a little slimmer even before the season settles into its rhythm.
Bradley still has something working in his favor: Washington views him as more than just camp depth and likes the work ethic that helped him hang around. The challenge now is turning that developmental spot into a real path forward, especially with veteran competition in the building and the practice squad becoming a proving ground rather than a placeholder. [Read more 🡒]
Treylon Burks Just Got The Commanders Opportunity He Needed
Treylon Burks entered the week with a clean slate in Washington, and the Commanders made the message even clearer when they released their Week 1 depth chart for the opener against the Eagles. Burks was listed as a starting wide receiver alongside Terry McLaurin and Stefon Diggs, a notable sign for a player who arrived on a one-year deal and is looking for a fresh start after a difficult run with the Tennessee Titans.
The opportunity goes beyond a spot on the first depth chart. Under coordinator David Blough, Burks is expected to have a meaningful role in the offense, giving him a chance to show he can still be part of a long-term plan if he makes the most of this opening stretch. For Washington, it is a low-risk way to see whether a former first-round talent can finally find the right fit. [Read more 🡒]