The Washington Commanders' two most important staff openings have been filled, with David Blough and Daronte Jones selected as Dan Quinn's coordinators for the 2026 NFL season.
Neither of them has ever coordinated at the NFL level before. It's a major risk for Washington, especially with Quinn himself in a make-or-break year. If the Commanders struggle again in 2026, it will likely be his last season as the head coach.
At the same time, patience will be key.
Washington will likely be entering the campaign with a significantly overhauled roster. Expectations will be lower than they were in 2025. Going .500 should be the goal.
Commanders fans should temper expectations and be patient with new coordinator hires
Whatever the case, Washington will need to get a proper gauge of its two new playcallers. Results might not happen overnight.
Commanders insider John Keim of ESPN appeared on The Team 980 this week to discuss Washington's new staff, and he said what pretty much everybody is thinking.
"I can understand the hesitation because 'Why wasn't it somebody more experienced?' But we just don't know. These both could be home run hires, and you have to play it out."John Keim via The Team 980
Will the Commanders' two coordinator hires be home runs or busts? John Keim sees the potential in both... pic.twitter.com/mNf3NElemI
— The Team 980 (@team980) January 28, 2026
Blough is the biggest unknown, having spent most of the 2025 season working as Washington's assistant quarterbacks coach. He was promoted when Tavita Pritchard left to take the head coaching position at Stanford, and received another raise when the team parted ways with Kliff Kingsbury.
Jones is a more proven commodity, though only at the positional level. He's been successful as the Minnesota Vikings' defensive backs coach under Brian Flores, but taking over control of an entire defense will be a big step up. He's only been a coordinator at the college level, most recently with LSU in 2021.
Both of them, especially Blough, might need some time to get settled in. Add in the fact that the Washington will likely feature upwards of a dozen new contributors in key roles on both sides of the ball, and this team might not gel right away.
The best way to evaluate the Commanders' 2026 season will be by how much they improve throughout the year. Quinn knows exactly what he's risking. If Washington makes little progress between Week 1 and Week 18, there will be an even bigger coaching search next offseason.
However, if Blough and Jones can get both sides of the ball clicking, the Commanders might be back on their way to building the sustained contender Quinn thought he had in 2024.