The Washington Commanders enter a new era offensively under David Blough. From Shanahan-inspired concepts and Ben Johnson’s creativity to Air Coryell influences tied to Mike Martz, here’s an inside look at what Blough’s offensive vision could mean for Jayden Daniels and the Commanders in 2026.
The 30-year-old former backup quarterback has had a meteoric rise amongst the coaching ranks, matching the trend of young offensive minds being given opportunities in the NFL.
Blough has been with the team since 2024 and has already become well-acquainted in Ashburn despite roster/coaching turnover. Started out as an assistant quarterback coach, then was moved up to quarterback midseason in 2025 when Tavita Pritchard took over as head coach of the Stanford Cardinals.
While some will question giving him the reins as the offensive playcaller, teams such as the New York Jets and his former team, the Detroit Lions, have interviewed Blough.
This signals that the team saw a young talent they did not want out of their building, and Quinn pounced on the opportunity, naming him the official Offensive Coordinator as of January 10 2026. With that said, we are going to dive into what the Blough Offense could look like, including his ties to coaching, personnel use, and more
David Blough Coaching Tree
To get started, we are going to take a look at his player/coaching stint during his time in the league. He went undrafted in 2019 and was signed by the Cleveland Browns, until ultimately he was traded to the Detroit Lions (two stints). He also spent time with the Minnesota Vikings and Arizona Cardinals. The 3 key coaches during his time in the NFL were
- Ben Johnson
- Kevin O’Connell
- Kliff Kingsbury
Let’s start with the most obvious and well-researched: the Blough-Johnson connection. Ben Johnson’s rise to fame began with the Joe Philbin-coached Miami Dolphins, who also featured Mike Sherman as their OC and Current Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell as tight ends coach.
He would then follow Campbell to Detroit and, during his tenure, saw a similar meteoric rise, much like Blough, who took over offensive playcalling in 2022 and so on.
Johnson will take over an offensive unit that went 3 years in the top 5 in scoring and yards, breaking franchise records, and will also play a part in retooling Jared Goff’s career, who has been a top-10 passer in the NFL.
From what we have been hearing, David Blough is looking to bring a similar offense to the nation’s capital. Johnson’s offense stems very similarly to the Shanahan’s and McVay’s Modernized West Coast Offenses, while also taking traits from the Infamous Air Coryell Offense from Mike Martz. We are talking about:
- Zone Run Scheme
- Bootlegs/Rollouts
- Motion Before the Snap
- Condensed 3×1 formations
- Route layering
- Marriage between the Run and Pass Game*
Things that we have seen spread around the league. Of course, the big principles in this offense are essential with a strong o-line and run game, which David Blough looks to establish with the Commanders.
Mike Martz’s influence is also strong from his time with “The Greatest Show on Turf”. Johnson’s offense is a system that aims to attack all areas of the field with high-volume playmakers like slot receivers and running backs who can create space on their own. Johnson is also known for aggressive play-calling in pushing the ball downfield for explosive plays.
David Blough, from reports and consistent analysis, looks to bring these similar concepts and a drive that would fit well with the Commanders, who were a top-5 rushing team in the 2025 season.
Kevin O’Connell, who is also a part of the Shannahan/McVay tree, had Blough on his practice squad. While he didn’t play, O’Connell showed how a QB-friendly system can benefit a competent quarterback.
Kliff Kingsbury and the others are different, but there was no question that he played a role on the offensive staff with Blough. Kliff is also considered a quarterback whisperer, having coached Patrick Mahomes, Kyler Murray, and Jayden Daniels.
Kliff Offense was rooted in horizontal movement , adding the quarterback to the run game and quick decision-making. The reason for the change is to protect the franchise and maximize his potential.
Personnel Usage by David Blough Can Be The Difference-Maker
The Washington Commanders’ offense, led by David Blough, is likely to be a unique blend of different coaching influences, making it one of the most interesting hybrid systems in the NFL.
Blough’s experience with the coaches mentioned will probably shape his offensive philosophy, with a big focus on versatility, sequencing, motion, and quarterback efficiency.
I still expect some Kingsbury influence to be mixed, given the importance of quick processing and moving the quarterback around, but his newer influences suggest the offense will evolve beyond a traditional shotgun spread attack.
Blough may use personnel groupings, motions, and offensive sequencing to manipulate defensive rules, much as Ben Johnson did. Instead of frequently substituting players, the Commanders might rely heavily on 11–, 12–, and 13-personnel packages, creating variations through motions, condensed formations, shifts, and alignment changes that the offense lacked last year.
The offense could feature running backs flexed outside, receivers stacked tightly near formations, tight ends moved across the formation pre-snap, and multiple players handling interchangeable responsibilities. The influence could potentially lead Blough to incorporate more under-center football, heavy play-action, wide-zone runs, bootlegs, and layered route combinations.
It would allow the offense to stress defenses across the field with motion and spacing while attacking vertically through play-action and sequencing. Tight ends could become key pieces in the offense due to their ability to disguise intentions, assist protections, and create matchup flexibility.
The quarterback-friendly nature of the scheme will prioritize defined reads, timing throws, rhythm passing, and controlled movement for Jayden Daniels. Ultimately, Blough’s offensive vision could become a modern NFL blend of Kingsbury’s spacing, Ben Johnson’s creativity and sequencing, O’Connell’s quarterback development philosophy, and Shanahan-style play-action structure.
The core objective will be to make defenses think as much as possible while allowing the quarterback to play as fast and confidently as possible. By combining these different influences, the Commanders’ offense has the potential to be highly effective and challenging for defenses to prepare for.
Quarterback and the Supporting Cast
The Washington Commanders, led by Jayden Daniels, could really benefit from David Blough’s approach to offense. Blough’s background as a coach creates an offense that makes things easier for the quarterback to read, while also giving the other skilled players more space and opportunities to make plays.
Because of his connections to other coaches like Kliff Kingsbury, Ben Johnson, and Kevin O’Connell, it’s possible the Commanders’ offense will be a mix of systems, using motion, sequencing, play-action, and positionless football to create a strong attack.
This would allow Daniels to play quickly and use his athletic abilities without having to constantly try to make impossible plays. Instead of relying on Daniels to bail them out all the time, the offense could create easier throwing opportunities by using layered concepts, play-action from under center, and pre-snap motion to identify and manipulate the defense
. This would also help the receivers, running backs, and tight ends by giving them more versatile alignments and creative ways to get open, creating favorable matchups and opportunities for big gains after the catch. The way the offense is sequenced could also lead to more explosive plays, as the defense would be reacting to the team’s earlier formations, motions, and tendencies.
What’s really important is that Blough, as a former backup quarterback, knows how to communicate with his players and build their confidence. He could help Daniels and the rest of the offense develop a strong chemistry and timing, allowing them to play within a system that challenges the defense without being too complicated for the players.
This would be a big change from the usual hero-ball approach, and could really help the Commanders succeed. With Blough’s system, the team could stress the defense mentally without overcomplicating things for the players, which would be a big advantage.
There is a lot of mystery for David Blough and how it will truly look. But by piecing two and two together, we will see how this shapes up, with a potentially healthy Jayden Daniels heading into the 2026 season.
