Dan Quinn wasted no time in the 2025 offseason making a number of massive changes to the coaching staff of the Washington Commanders, including a mutual agreement to part ways with offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.
The decision to let Kingsbury out the door was met with equal amounts of skepticism, outrage, and optimism, because why else would you let someone go unless you had a plan in place? Well, it turns out, Quinn did have a plan in place, but it wasn't the plan anyone was calling for.
According to multiple reports, Quinn and the Commanders are promoting David Blough from within their own coaching ranks to be the team's new offensive coordinator. And believe it or not, there was competition for his services.
David Blough decision puts Dan Quinn's reputation (and job) with the Washington Commanders on the line
Many in the Commanders' fan base were dreaming of the possibility of Quinn hiring his old pal Mike McDaniel, someone he's been close to for quite some time. And that potential reunion for McDaniel coming back to Washington made a ton of sense.
Not only does McDaniel have ties to Quinn, but he also has ties to Commanders GM Adam Peters from their time with the San Francisco 49ers. It was an easy lob toward the basket, and Quinn seemingly had to finish the alley oop at the rim.
He has taken a completely different route than anyone expected, and his boldness will undoubtedly have him on the hot seat in 2026.
With so many other options available, the Commanders are turning to Blough, a former undrafted free-agent quarterback out of Purdue in 2019 who just turned 30 last July.
Blough once played under Kliff Kingsbury when Kingsbury was the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, and clearly saw something in him as a potential coach at the time.
Dan Quinn obviously agreed.
Back in December, Blough was promoted to the interim quarterbacks coach after Tavita Pritchard was hired away by the Stanford Cardinal program. That promotion for Blough obviously was our first signal that the Commanders were really high on him, but they weren't the only ones.
The Commanders actually had to fend off the Detroit Lions to keep Blough in-house, and that's not a surprise either, considering Blough spent some time in Detroit (2019-21) as a backup quarterback.
This has become such an interesting trend around the league, and we're seeing plenty of success stories.
Obviously, Kliff Kingsbury is one of the examples of a former backup quarterback who has found rapid success in the coaching world, but there are also plenty of others around the NFL and even in this head coaching cycle, like Davis Webb out in Denver.
The league is recognizing the impact these young quarterbacks are capable of making, not only in the quarterback room, adding value when the group is breaking down film, but actually scheming up an offense as well.
This is a risky move for Quinn; there's really no question about it. With some big-name candidates out there, it feels a bit like "settling" in a way, but at the same time, you have to trust your gut and convictions.
Quinn is doing just that, while simultaneously putting his job on the line.