It’s 5 o’clock somewhere…
The 5 O’Clock Club
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Leaving the dismal 2025 season behind
Washington has done something that is a bit unusual in the NFL; the Commanders enter the 3rd year of Dan Quinn’s tenure as head coach with new coordinators on offense & defense — both of them
rookies at their respective positions and first-time NFL play-callers.
Defense
Defensive coordinator Daronte Jones is something of a journeyman as a coach. After starting in the high school and collegiate sectors—including a stint as defensive coordinator at Bowie State – he entered the NFL in 2016 as a defensive backs coach for the Miami Dolphins. Jones later coached secondaries for the Cincinnati Bengals and Minnesota Vikings, briefly returning to college football in 2021 to serve as Louisiana State University’s defensive coordinator. He rejoined the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings as a defensive pass game coordinator before Washington selected him to lead their defense.
Based on articles I’ve read, videos I’ve watched, podcasts I’ve listened to, and press conferences I’ve reviewed, I believe that in Washington, Daronte Jones will implement an aggressive, positionless defensive system modeled after the high-pressure scheme he learned under Brian Flores in Minnesota, though Jones himself has repeatedly taken pains to remind local reporters of the variety of coaches that have had an influence on his development. That said, the playbook will likely rely on multiple, adaptable fronts rather than a strict 3-4 or 4-3 alignment, emphasizing pre-snap disguises to keep opposing quarterbacks off balance. The secondary seems as if it will feature a structure that relies on interchangeable DBs who shift between heavy doses of Cover-4, Cover-2, and Cover-0 looks. This versatility should allow the secondary to support a high volume of creative blitzes and zone-pressure packages from the front-7, requiring multi-functional LBs and safeties to regularly rotate between deep coverage, run support, and A-gap rushes.
This defense will not only be a completely different scheme from the one that Joe Whitt implemented and oversaw in 2024 & 2025 with very poor results, it will also rely on a heavily re-tooled roster.
The defensive line has at least 6 new faces — rookie Joshua Josephs along with veterans Odafe Oweh, K’Lavon Chaisson, Charles Omenihu, Tim Settle, and DJ Davidson — though Davidson isn’t necessarily a ‘lock’ to make the 53-man roster.
At inside linebacker, the team drafted Sonny Styles with the 7th overall pick; he joins former Chiefs LB Leo Chenal as the new faces at the 2nd level of the defense.
Three additions to the defensive backs group were made in free agency — safety Nick Cross and cornerbacks Amik Robertson & Ahkello Witherspoon.
That means that 11 players on the defensive side of the ball — roughly 44% — are brand new, and 9 of them probably are part of the core 15 (or so) players that will see most of the season’s defensive snaps.
Personally, I think NFL fans in general are sleeping on this group. I think that Daronte Jones has flown completely under the radar and that his new-look Commanders defense will be a revelation when it is unveiled. Further, because the free agent signings focused on players on the rise looking for new opportunities to shine rather than established stars with marquee name value, the overhaul of defensive personnel is being likewise overlooked.
I think the 2026 Commanders defense is going to be something that no one has seen in burgundy & gold Washington uniforms in a very long time — and I mean that in the most positive way possible.
Offense
David Blough’s coaching career feels like it has taken off like a rocket, but part of the reason is that his preparation for a it is grounded in the years he spent as a backup quarterback in the NFL, where he learned a great deal about modern offenses. After five seasons playing for four teams, including time under offensive coaches like Todd Monken, Darrell Bevell, Kliff Kingsbury, and Ben Johnson among others, Blough transitioned to coaching with the Washington Commanders. After two seasons as the assistant QB coach under Tevita Pritchard (and 4 games as the interim QB coach), he was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2026 to implement a more traditional, under-center system.
In many ways, the selection of David Blough as a young offensive position coach to take over as coordinator is a ‘wish granted’ to Commanders fans who have spent years bemoaning the loss of offensive gurus like Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVay, Kevin O’Connell, Matt LeFleur and Mike McDaniel to other teams.
Based primarily on comments from Dan Quinn and David Blough himself, along with some clues garnered from players at OTAs, I think I have a fair understanding of how Bough’s 2026 offense will differ from that of his predecessor Kliff Kingsbury. Influenced by his playing experience under Ben Johnson and Kevin O’Connell, the new playbook is expected to emphasize heavier personnel groupings, increasing the usage of 2- and 3-TE sets to anchor a wide-zone rushing offense and establish play-action passing opportunities. Additionally, the system is expected to use frequent pre-snap motion to adjust player positioning, shifting target receivers into the slot or across the formation to create leverage and exploit coverage mismatches.
Unlike the defense, the offensive personnel that will take the field for the Commanders in 2026 is substantially the same as the 2025 unit, with only “normal” turnover.
The key roster modifications on offense are:
C – Starting center Tyler Biadasz was released; Nick Allegretti seems like he will be given every opportunity to win the starting role. Matt Gulbin was drafted in the 6th round to compete at the position.
TE – Zach Ertz is gone (still rehabbing from season-ending injury and not under contract). His roster spot now belongs to Chig Okonkwo.
RB – Gone are Austin Ekeler and Chris Rodriguez. Rachaad White was signed in free agency, and Kaytron Allen was drafted in the 6th round, giving a slightly different flavor to the running back committee in ‘26.
WR – Deebo Samuel is still a free agent; the Commanders used their 3rd-round pick (Washington’s second selection) in this year’s draft to select Antonio Williams. Treylon Burks returns after playing a limited role at the end of the ‘25 season with a chance to take on a more significant role in ‘26.
Five players out; six players (including 3 draft picks) to replace them. This is pretty typical turnover for one side of the ball in the NFL.
The key to the team’s offensive success in 2026, of course, is for 3rd-year signal caller Jayden Daniels to return to his 2024 ROTY form and to remain healthy.
Any improvement in offensive success is likely to come more from coaching and schematic changes than from the normal roster ‘upkeep’ of 2026.
POLL
In the first two seasons of Dan Quinn’s tenure, the offense clearly out-performed the defense. I’m not going to bother providing the rankings because the coaches and schemes on both sides of the ball are completely different, and substantial roster upgrades have taken place. The past is prologue (or perhaps, based on what I’ve just stated, it isn’t). Our focus is on what’s ahead; we’re looking forward, not backwards, here.
