The Washington Commanders took a big swing when they moved on from Kliff Kingsbury after a 5-12 season, and the choice to hand the offense to David Blough only added to the noise. Blough had never run an NFL offense before.
Until the final month of the 2025 season, he had never even been a head positional coach. On paper, it looked like a massive leap.
Early in camp, though, the bet is beginning to look a lot smarter.
Blough had been serving as Washington’s assistant quarterbacks coach before Tavita Pritchard left for the head coaching job at Stanford, and the former Detroit Lions backup quarterback was suddenly pushed into a far bigger role. It was the kind of promotion that can define a season for everybody involved.
If it works, the Commanders may have found something real. If it doesn’t, the whole thing can unravel fast.
So far, the signs have been encouraging. Washington’s offense is operating under a new scheme and a fresh group of pieces, including running back Rachaad White, tight end Chig Okonkwo, wide receiver Stefon Diggs, and third-round rookie Antonio Williams.
And according to NBC Sports team insider J.P. Finlay and former Washington fan-favorite Brian Mitchell, the early returns have been smooth.
"You can huddle up and then get to the line of scrimmage and go fast. I think the best teams in the NFL have that tool in the bag where you have to wait for the defense to sub, but you don't have to wait for the defense to get set. If you run that pace, it can be a really effective tool on third and short, goal line, lots of situations."
That tempo is part of what stands out. Blough isn’t just speeding things up for the sake of speed.
The offense is showing more layers, with more creativity and deception baked in. Play action is showing up, and Washington is finding ways to get its best players open instead of just asking them to win in traffic.
For a coordinator with no previous NFL play-calling background, that’s no small thing.
Blough has already drawn strong praise from coaches like Ben Johnson and Dan Campbell, who have valued him highly enough to want him on their staffs. If Washington hadn’t moved quickly, he likely would have been headed back to Detroit for the same coordinator job there.
That’s why this wasn’t just a panic move from Dan Quinn. It was a move to keep a rising offensive mind in the building.
Kingsbury did plenty of good work for Washington in 2024, but the production eventually hit the same wall that has followed him at other stops. Blough now gives the Commanders a shot at something different, and maybe something more sustainable, for Jayden Daniels behind center.
It’s early. The real tests are still ahead. But for now, Washington’s new offensive identity is looking alive.
In Other News...
Stefon Diggs Brings Washington A Bigger Problem Than Fans Expected
Stefon Diggs one-year deal with Washington was supposed to be judged first through the usual football lens: what he still has left, how he fits, and whether he can help the offense take a step forward. Instead, the signing immediately widened the spotlight around him. A social media post from Christopher Blake Griffith brought back a legal dispute that has hovered over Diggs for months, turning a roster move into another round of off-field attention for the Commanders to absorb.
Griffith has accused Diggs of drugging and attempting to sexually assault him in 2023, claims Diggs denies and has answered with a defamation lawsuit. The situation has also pulled in Diggs family, after his brother, Darez Diggs, pleaded no contest to felony grand theft tied to an incident involving Griffith. For Washington, it is the sort of extra baggage that comes with signing a player of Diggs profile, and it ensures the conversation around him will be about more than route running for the foreseeable future. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Just Sent A Clear Message About Protecting Jayden Daniels
The Commanders spent part of their recent roster work sending a pretty clear signal about where their attention is headed entering the 2026 season. By adding Daniel Brunskill, Nicholas Petit-Frere and Max Scharping to the active roster, Washington leaned into veteran help up front at a time when every move on the offensive line gets filtered through the same larger question: how to keep Jayden Daniels cleaner and the offense sturdier.
The trio arrives with real NFL experience, which is exactly the sort of depth teams tend to chase when they believe better protection can stabilize everything behind center. To make those additions, Washington moved on from wide receiver Chris Hilton Jr. and guard Timothy McKay, while defensive tackle D.J. Davidson was placed on the Reserve/Retired List, another sign that the roster is being reshaped with the trenches in mind. [Read more 🡒]
Stefon Diggs Just Put Washington In An Awkward Jersey Debate
Stefon Diggs first appearance with the Commanders came with an unexpected subplot: he was in No. 18, a practice jersey that worked fine for the moment, but not necessarily for the long haul. The number makes sense as a placeholder because the digits Diggs has worn before are already taken on Washingtons roster, leaving the veteran receiver in a familiar spot for now and the equipment staff with a small but oddly notable problem to solve.
The real intrigue is where this could go next, because Diggs has shown interest in a different number with real history in Washington. No. 7 carries its own weight around the franchise, tied to Joe Theismann and effectively untouched for years, so any change would have to fit both roster realities and team policy. For now, the Commanders have a jersey question hanging in the background of Diggs arrival, and the final answer may depend on moves yet to come. [Read more 🡒]