David Blough - Commanders OC
When the Washington Commanders parted ways with offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury during the offseason, head coach Dan Quinn took a big risk by promoting David Blough. He'd never called plays before, but the former quarterback was seen as a shrewd mind who could help innovate a better offense for quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Quinn likely bet his job on it, and Blough has not repaid this faith as yet.
The Commanders' offense is a little more creative. However, the in-game adjustments are non-existent, and it's starting to become more evident in close games that Washington has a chance of winning.
Blough's inexperience is coming to the fore. This was always the danger, but his inability to communicate and woeful management of critical situations is costing the Commanders in the worst possible way.
Quinn is taking the heat, eager to protect Blough from blame. That only lasts for so long, and questions are now being asked about whether he can take this offense where it wants to go.
Commanders injury problems
No team was decimated more by injuries than the Commanders last season. Several other factors contributed to their demise, but losing so many influential figures was a body blow that head coach Dan Quinn's squad couldn't recover from.
The same problems are surfacing again this time.
Laremy Tunsil tore his triceps at training camp. Johnny Newton tore his pectoral before the season. Jayden Daniels has missed two games, and countless other key players have also been sent to the shelf.
Wide receiver Terry McLaurin and defensive lineman Daron Payne — two prime trade chips before the deadline — went to season-ending injured reserve. Dyami Brown probably won't play again this season, Jacory Croskey-Merritt is on injured reserve, and Javon Kinlaw is done for the year as well.
I could go on, but you get the picture.
Whether this is down to bad luck, offseason preparation, or how players are being managed is debatable. But either way, it's been a massive letdown.
Mike Sainristil - Commanders CB
The Commanders were giving Mike Sainristil another chance to cement his importance to the team's long-term plans this season. They didn't have much choice, with Trey Amos still on the shelf and only Rasul Douglas and Amik Robertson as viable cornerback options, but it's an opportunity he couldn't waste.
Sainristil was always seen as a feast-or-famine option over his first two seasons. Daronte Jones' strong credentials working with defensive backs were expected to bring more out of the 2024 second-round pick, but the same complications surfaced.
He's undersized, and it now shows. Sainristil became a liability in coverage, and the Michigan product was picked apart by opposing offenses at will. The Commanders eventually cut his reps, and when Amos returned from injured reserve, he fell into irrelevance.
Playing one defensive snap over the last two games is a damning indictment of how Sainristil's development is being perceived. And he may now be a lost cause.
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