David Blough’s early head coach buzz gives Commanders the best possible problem

The Washington Commanders shocked the NFL world by upsetting the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, and they did it without starting quarterback Jayden Daniels. Expectedly, new offensive coordinator David Blough is getting his flowers.

Only two weeks ago, Blough looked like a fish out of water in his play-calling debut against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Commanders' offense had nothing until the fourth quarter, and his attempt at drawing up a game-tying two-point conversion was a disaster.

Now? Analysts are already speculating that Blough's time in Washington could be short-lived... for a different reason.

Commanders might already need to be on the lookout to protect David Blough

Blough checks every box NFL teams look for in a modern head coach. He's young. He's offensive-minded. He played in the league and learned under some of the top schemers in the game.

And his name is already being thrown out as a candidate for potential job openings.

Head coach Dan Quinn and the Commanders took a calculated risk in promoting Blough, who was the assistant quarterbacks coach a year ago. His rise has been meteoric, so much so that Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell was considering hiring him for the same position.

And Washington felt like it couldn't let him leave the building.

Now, the Commanders might have to protect Blough yet again this offseason. But is there actual smoke here, or is it just an overreaction?

David Blough's first season must play out before Commanders confront hard decisions

It seems unlikely Blough would leave the Commanders after only one season as offensive coordinator. He's 31 years old. The youngest head coach in the league is Joe Brady, at 37.

Even Sean McVay made it three years as Washington's play caller before he bolted for the Los Angeles Rams opportunity, and many believed at the time he was nowhere near ready.

Blough will have his ups and downs this season. Ultimately, more experienced names will get the calls.

But that doesn't mean he won't at least provoke some conversations during the next head-coaching cycle.

That said, the Commanders do need to think about a long-term plan if Blough is who he looks like he is. And that would mean he'll one day succeed Quinn as Washington's head coach.

Hanging onto good coordinators is the NFL's ultimate double-edged sword. If Blough is getting head-coach hype come January, it means Washington probably had a strong season, which means there would be no urgency to move on from Quinn.

Whether this year, next year, or the year after, the Commanders will face a catch-22 at some point and will need to decide just how important Blough is to them. At the very least, there are certainly worse problems to have.

But in the meantime, let's see how this year plays out first.

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