Washington Commanders Are Hiring Former Detroit Lions QB As Their New Offensive Coordinator

 2K+ • By Alex Hoegler

The Washington Commanders have found Kliff Kingsbury’s replacement.

In a surprise move, the Washington Commanders are hiring former Detroit Lions quarterback David Blough as their new offensive coordinator.

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Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Commanders have named David Blough their new offensive coordinator. The 30-year-old Blough spent the last two seasons as the club’s quarterbacks coach.

Washington moved on from OC Kliff Kingsbury and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. The Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans have both requested head coaching interviews with Kingsbury.


David Blough appeared in 17 NFL games over his short-lived career as a backup. He started five games for the Lions in 2019, throwing four touchdowns against six interceptions, via Pro Football Reference.

He also played two games for the Arizona Cardinals in 2022, completing 65.5 percent of his pass attempts, with two touchdowns and as many interceptions.

David Blough Is A Surprising Hire By Commanders

David Blough and Josh Johnson (Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images)
It’s not rare for a team to hire in-house after firing an offensive or defensive coordinator. But hiring the 30-year-old Blough is a bit of a head-scratcher for various reasons.

For one, Blough has significantly less experience compared to the many other options available. And it’s not like Washington got good play from its backup QBs with Jayden Daniels missing valuable time to injury.

Marcus Mariota and Josh Johnson combined for 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions. And Daniels’ successful rookie year can be widely attributed to the genius of Kliff Kingsbury. The latter has an excellent track record working with young signal-callers.

Only time will tell if the promotion of Blough works out. But for now, it’s fair to question this move by Dan Quinn. It’s not like Washington spent ample time interviewing other candidates, either.