The offensive and defensive coordinators hired by Dan Quinn when he took over as head coach of the Washington Commanders in 2024 had a combined 21 years of NFL experience. Roughly half of those were at the head coach or coordinator level.
By contrast, the two new coordinators — Daronte Jones and David Bough — have a combined 10 years of total experience, with three of them at the coordinator level. Quinn is trusting the far-less-experienced duo to revive Washington’s fortunes. It’s a bold move — one that is based as much on gut instinct as résumé.
Quinn has no concerns, at least publicly. He made his feelings clear about that.
“I know we may talk of two first-time coordinators, but I also recognize everyone needs their first stop. I really feel like we’re going to set them up to succeed.”
Commanders' high-risk coordinator gambles will make-or-break Dan Quinn's future
Jones' path to defensive coordinator is not the least bit strange. At 47, he has been coaching at the NFL level since 2016. He began as a position coach before taking a year off from the pros to serve as LSU's defensive coordinator.
He came back and coached defensive backs under Ed Donatell with the Minnesota Vikings in 2022. When Brian Flores took over the following year, Jones was promoted to pass game coordinator.
Jones has served under Flores, one of the most respected defensive minds in the game, for the past three seasons. When the Commanders were unable to pry Minnesota's coordinator away, they turned to one of his main disciples.
Blough is a different story. Though not the youngest coordinator in the league, Washington's new play-caller is without question the least experienced.
He has been an NFL coach for two seasons. The vast majority of the time was spent as an assistant position coach. When quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard left to become Stanford's head coach, Blough was promoted to the position. He was in that role for approximately two months before being elevated again.
This borders on the extraordinary.
Of the 28 current offensive coordinators in the NFL (four teams still have vacancies), 21 of them have been coordinators or head coaches prior to taking their current post. That includes the more recently created pass-and-run game coordinator positions. Several others held equivalent titles, such as assistant coordinator or passing game specialist. Blough is one of just six who never served above the position coach level before his promotion to coordinator.
Most of those coaches had at least five years of NFL experience before the move up. The one exception is Sean Mannion in Philadelphia.
Like Blough, Mannion was a journeyman quarterback who moved into coaching after his playing career ended. He also has just two seasons of NFL coaching experience.
Mannion is a few years older and spent a full year, rather than a couple of months, as the quarterbacks coach in Green Bay. Otherwise, his profile is almost identical to Blough’s.
However, there is one huge difference between the Commanders' newest offensive coordinator and his fellow coaches with limited experience. The five others — Mannion, Dan Pitcher, Doug Nussmeier, Brad Idzik, and Clayton Adams — all serve under offensive-minded head coaches.
Blough does not. He is the unquestioned top man when it comes to designing Washington’s offensive game plans and calling plays in 2026. There is no fallback.
Quinn is right. Everyone needs a first stop. But if he’s wrong about his two untested coordinators, all three coaches could be looking for their next stop as soon as 2027.