David Blough has a long list of priorities as he takes on the task of being the Washington Commanders' offensive coordinator. The most important item to address: making sure his scheme gets the most out of Jayden Daniels' skill set.
It sounds like that process is already underway.
"We talk all the time," Daniels said last week while on Media Row prior to Super Bowl LX. "I'm super excited to get back out there."
After dropping to a 5-12 record in 2025, the Commanders elected to go through a substantial recalibration on the coaching staff, relieving both Kliff Kingsbury and Joe Whitt Jr. of their respective duties. The Commanders promoted Blough, despite him not having play-calling experience, because of his potential and exposure to several of the league's best schemes. There's no sample size to predict exactly what Blough's system will look like, but he has Daniels' seal of approval.
"He's gonna throw his own flavor on there," Daniels said.
Blough, who has been the Commanders' assistant quarterbacks coach for the last two seasons, was exposed to a litany of experienced offensive minds during a playing career that ended just three years ago. On top of his time with Kingsbury, he spent time with former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell.
The combination of Kingsbury's "Air Raid" tendencies with Johnson's creativity and O'Connell's West Coast scheme could make for a unique system. All three have a history of success in the NFL; Kingsbury orchestrated one of the league's most productive and high-scoring offenses with the Commanders in 2024, while Johnson gave the Chicago Bears the sixth-best offense in his first season as their head coach. The Vikings' offense struggled in 2025, but O'Connell has five top-12 finishes in yards per game in his seven seasons as a play caller.
Blough's first challenge is to take an offense that finished in the bottom third of many major categories and raise it back up to being a playoff-caliber unit. Much of that will revolve around Daniels, who missed seven games last season with multiple injuries. Although Daniels was not perfect in his second season, he often managed to keep the team competitive because of his poise, decision-making and dual-threat ability with his legs. Without him, the offense struggled to keep up with top-tier teams like the Lions, Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos.
Blough's relationship with Daniels is one of his biggest selling points. The two have developed a close bond over the last two years by working through game plans together and competing against one another before practice. While Daniels doesn't yet know what Blough's plans will be for the offense, he hasn't been shy about giving his opinion.
"I've been very vocal about stuff I want to do," Daniels said. "He's been open. He tells me all the time we want to build this offense for you. That's kind of what a quarterback wants to hear."
The Commanders already know what their offense can look like when Daniels feels comfortable. He put up 4,459 total yards and 31 touchdowns as a rookie and helped them get to the NFC Championship for the first time in more than three decades. It was a high standard for the rest of Daniels' career, but that's also what the Commanders expected when they took him with the No. 2 overall pick.
The Commanders' front office believes Blough can get Daniels back to putting up those numbers, and count Daniels among the throng of people who are anxious to see what Blough has in store for the offense.
"I know what he can do; I know the work that he puts in," Daniels said. "We got OTAs and mandatory minicamp to really see what he's cooking up."
