How Jayden Daniels was involved in Commanders promoting David Blough
· Yahoo Sports
Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels was a big fan of former offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. It's not surprising since Daniels had the greatest rookie season in NFL history under Kingsbury's tutelage in 2024.
However, things went off the rails in 2025. Much of that was due to injuries. Daniels missed 10 games with different injuries, and Washington's offense wasn't the same without him and a healthy Terry McLaurin. At the conclusion of a 5-12 season, head coach Dan Quinn had seen enough. He fired defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr., which was expected. But it was surprising when word began to leak that the Commanders could also move on from Kingsbury.
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Washington did move on from Kingsbury, only days after Daniels endorsed his return. The decision wasn't made based on Kingsbury's 2025 results. It was about the future. Quinn and GM Adam Peters wanted the Commanders to move forward with a more traditional offense rather than Kingsbury's fast-break, no-huddle offense. An offense that would take some of the pressure off Daniels and play him more under center.
While the Commanders interviewed several candidates, it was clear that assistant quarterbacks coach David Blough was always the guy. Quinn had identified him as a future star once Kingsbury added him to his offensive staff in 2024. Another benefit of promoting the 30-year-old former NFL quarterback: Daniels loved Blough.
Daniels and Blough were close, having spent the past two years together. If Washington was going forward with a new offense, it made sense to hire someone with close ties to Daniels.
The Commanders opened OTAs this week, and it was the first chance to see Daniels in Blough's new offense. While reporters weren't going to see much, there was plenty of Daniels under center. His teammates were impressed with his command of the new offense.
What does Daniels think of Blough now being his offensive coordinator?
"It's fun, he said after Wednesday's OTA. "I mean, it's been awesome just to see his offensive mind, his creative mind, and juices flowing, and we're building this thing together."
Daniels likes Blough's offense.
"I love the offense. I mean, I love what Blough’s doing. I love how he's creating and designing different things, and then we're going from there."
It made sense to go with an offensive coordinator with ties to Daniels. While that helped Blough's case, that's not the only reason he was hired. Other teams wanted to hire him. Quinn truly believes in Blough's vision and didn't feel he needed to wait after getting into coaching only two years ago.
So, did Daniels have a voice in Blough's promotion?
"I would say I was in the loop, but a lot of stuff is above my pay grade, so that's it," Daniels said.
This makes sense. Daniels should have a voice, while Quinn's decision should always be with Daniels and the organization's future in mind. While Daniels proved he could thrive in Kingsbury's offense, there was always a ceiling to it, regardless of the quarterback's talent. Quinn and the Commanders wanted a running game that was married to the passing game. They wanted more play-action possibilities, which was almost impossible under Kingsbury. Washington believes this will make Daniels even more dangerous in 2026 and beyond.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Jayden Daniels impact on David Blough promotion