The Washington Commanders needed fresh blood after a disastrous 2025 campaign that featured a laundry list of injuries and a disappointing 4-13 record. The infusion began Tuesday as the team introduced new offensive coordinator David Blough and defensive coordinator Daronte Jones.
The new duo will both call plays for the first time in their NFL careers, a fact that doesn’t worry coach Dan Quinn.
“Everybody needs their first stop, and I feel like we’re going to set them up to succeed in every way,” he said. “Fresh eyes is the first thing. There’s an element that goes into new schemes, new ideas. Everything ratchets up quickly.”
Former coordinators Kliff Kingsbury and Joe Whitt Jr. left the team last month. Whitt lost play-calling responsibilities in November as the defense limped to a league-worst showing in yards allowed.
Kingsbury and the Commanders “mutually agreed to part ways,” amid rumored philosophical differences. Blough and Quinn both noted that Daniels would be taking more snaps under center in 2026 — a stark shift from the shotgun-heavy offense he ran during his first two seasons.
“It’s something that I’m convicted about, that with his skill set, his fundamentals,” Blough said. “The things that we absolutely loved about him from when he first got here still ring true.”
Washington’s new offense wouldn’t provide too many clues into what a Blough-led offense could look like. He praised the coaches he worked with as a journeyman quarterback in the NFL — including Kingsbury, Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell and Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson.
Viewers can expect a blend of those two balanced attacks, mixed with the no-tempo looks that became a Kingsbury trademark.
Coaching was always on the radar for Blough, whose NFL career peaked with a handful of starts with the Detroit Lions and the Arizona Cardinals.
“It’s as close as you can get to calling the play in the huddle and actually being the guy who receives the snap,” Blough said. “Developing that and helping get our group to the best collective outcome is what really excites me.”
Designing plays isn’t totally new to the Purdue product. He drew up the designs for a game-winner against the Philadelphia Eagles in 2024 and a deep touchdown to receiver Terry McLaurin last season.
Blough is less than three years removed from his playing career. But he said Quinn and the Commanders have been preparing him for this opportunity — from letting him call plays in practice to allowing him to lead presentations to the team.
“This guy’s absolutely ready to go attack. It was evident to see that,” Quinn said. “When you’re around somebody a lot, you know that.”
Blough spent two years as a coach. Jones has been grinding away for 25 years.
But this is the Maryland native’s first chance to call plays at the NFL level. He’s spent time coaching defensive backs and occasionally coordinating defenses at almost every level of football: from Louisiana high schools and Division III colleges to the NFL and CFL.
Now, he’s coming home.
Jones grew up in Maryland as a die-hard Washington fan, playing youth football just a few miles from the Commanders’ home stadium.
“I grew up wearing the burgundy,” he said. “Went to Matthew Henson Elementary school, Kenmore Park Middle School, literally right across the street from where the stadium is. So when the opportunity came, I thought it was a win-win situation.”
On Tuesday, the new defensive play-caller opted against diving into the X’s and O’s of his new defense. He has a vision of a versatile group, where multiple players can play multiple roles, confusing opposing offenses on a day-to-day basis.
“3-4 or 4-3, they’re just numbers,” he said of the defense’s base alignment. “It’s not where you line up; it’s where you wind up.”
The aggression is a given, Jones said. He may not blitz as much as Brian Flores, his former boss with the Minnesota Vikings, but his defense will play downhill.
The defense will belong to Jones. When Quinn brought Whitt with him to Washington in 2024, the defense clearly had the head coach’s fingerprints on it. That won’t be the case next season.
“We’re putting in a new system,” Quinn said. “It starts with [Jones’] vision, his terminology, the wording that we use, the communication. That’s the way it has to be.”
Jones said he’s overjoyed to be back in the Washington region. His family — including his mother and grandparents — still lives in the area.
He wants the defense to be defined by that same emotion.
“I’m not going to say all the typical coaching buzzwords,” Jones noted, declining to describe the group as aggressive, physical or imposing. “Joy would be one. To see the joy that these players have when they step on the field, the joy that they have when they play with one another, the camaraderie, that’s the number one thing that we want to have on the defense.”
• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.
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