The Washington Commanders announced their new coaching staff on Thursday led by head coach Dan Quinn. It’s an experienced group with two former head coaches and four former coordinators on staff.
Offensively, Washington looks prepared to fully support a young quarterback. The Commanders hold the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft and are widely expected to select a quarterback among Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, and Jayden Daniels.
A big emphasis for Quinn and new offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury was to give the quarterback position, whether it was a rookie, Sam Howell, a veteran, or a mix of the above options, the required support.
Quinn hired four former quarterbacks as a part of his staff:
- Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury: 43 college games played, over 12,000 passing yards. Drafted by the Patriots and spent four seasons on NFL rosters or practice squads.
- Offensive pass game coordinator/assistant head coach Brian Johnson: 44 college games played, 7,853 passing yards and 57 touchdowns.
- Quarterback coach Tavita Pritchard: 31 college games played, 2,865 passing yards.
- Assistant quarterback coach David Blough: 44 games played, 9,734 passing yards and 69 touchdowns. Undrafted in 2019, but spent time with the Browns, Lions, Cardinals and Vikings.
Blough was recently on the Detroit Lions practice squad. His contract expired once Detroit’s season ended, and he immediately jumped into coaching.
While the 28-year-old Blough had a successful playing career, many believed he’d always end up coaching.
Former Purdue QB David Blough, who spent the past five years as an NFL quarterback, has been hired as assistant QBs coach for the Washington Commanders. Not surprising to see Blough end up in coaching. Dating back to his @Elite11 days he always seemed wise beyond his years.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) February 15, 2024
Blough worked under Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson last season and, in 2022, was in Arizona with Kingsbury — who was the head coach.
Kingsbury praised Blough Thursday.
“Yeah, very, very smart,” Kingsbury said when asked about Blough. “I remember we got him in Arizona for a couple of weeks and he probably knew the offense better than I did after two weeks. I mean, he is one of the brightest quarterbacks I’ve ever been around. Great rapport with the players. I love his temperament. I think whoever the quarterback is, he’ll be great to be around him, and just how he sees the game, how he talks, protections, progressions, because he never gets too high or too low. And I think he’s got a chance to move up really quickly in this profession.”
Kingsbury didn’t give a lot of in-depth answers on Thursday, but he certainly provided one on Blough. That short time they worked together left a lasting impression on Kingsbury who believes Blough can be an excellent coach.
Blough finished playing in January and has an NFL coaching job in February tells you everything you need to know.
Washington’s stacked coaching staff doesn’t guarantee success, but’s set up well to support the quarterback position better than at any time in recent franchise history.