Commanders OC David Blough on how his offense will help Jayden Daniels

The Washington Commanders took a huge risk this offseason, moving on from offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, only to promote former assistant quarterbacks coach David Blough to replace him.

>This move wasn't made hastily. The Commanders knew Blough was special the moment he was hired in 2024. Freshly retired from playing, Blough only had two years of coaching experience before his promotion. He wasn't your typical assistant quarterback over the previous two seasons. The Commanders would have Blough lead some meetings and even call plays in practice at times. They were preparing him for his next opportunity.

>No one thought that opportunity would be this soon, replacing Kingsbury, under whom he played in Arizona. Head coach Dan Quinn interviewed several candidates in January, but it was clear that Blough was always his guy. He understood the risk, but was not concerned. Quinn wanted Washington's offense to evolve rather than remain in Kingsbury's fast-paced, no-huddle attack. The Commanders wanted to run the ball more and have quarterback Jayden Daniels under center far more frequently. They also wanted to use more play action and rely less on Daniels' designed runs.

>But most importantly, Quinn and GM Adam Peters wanted Daniels to evolve. Everyone saw what he was capable of during his record-breaking rookie season in 2024. They believed Kingsbury's offense limited Daniels to a degree. With Blough, he'll keep parts of Kingsbury's offense, but he'll primarily use a hybrid offense that will look extremely similar to what Ben Johnson ran with the Lions and now runs with the Bears.

>Another reason Blough was the perfect fit for the job was his relationship with Daniels. Daniels didn't want to lose Kingsbury, but was more than happy with Blough's promotion. The two are close, having worked side by side during Daniels' first two NFL seasons.

>Washington just completed its second week of OTAs this week. Blough recently spoke to reporters and revealed how his offense can help Daniels evolve.

>"I think, you know, just trying to open his eyes maybe under center to some of the play action concepts and different things we want to stretch, you know, stretch people horizontally and vertically, and you know, it's, we're not creating essentially new concepts," Blough said.

>"Just asking them to do different things, and I think at the end of the day, it's about us trying to put our best players in positions to be successful. And, you know, we'll evaluate that throughout the spring and in the training camp to do that."

>This is a good summary from Blough. He's telling you that there are only so many plays you can. Everyone runs similar concepts. Washington will still use part of Kingbury's playbook, but Blough will make things look different. There will be more pre-snap movement. Daniels will play under center more. Wide receiver Terry McLaurin will move all around the formation.

>The early returns are encouraging. Of course, Daniels hasn't faced another NFL defense yet, but his apparent mastery of the concepts so soon has Washington's coaches and players optimistic about turning things around in 2026. Some of his teammates recently said it felt as if Daniels had been running this offense for years.

>The Commanders have one more week of OTAs before the mandatory minicamp, and then they'll break for training camp next month.

>This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: David Blough on Jayden Daniels' evolution