The Washington Commanders made several coaching staff changes this offseason. They retained head coach Dan Quinn, promoted David Blough to offensive coordinator, and hired Daronte Jones as defensive coordinator. One could argue that they are both under tremendous pressure in 2026, but which one is under more scrutiny?
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell named 22 people in the NFL under the most pressure in 2026, including players, general managers, coaches, and executives. Three coordinators made the list, including the Commanders’ first-time offensive coordinator David Blough. The other two coordinators are Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Sean Manion and Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Declan Doyle.
All three of the coordinators in question
have quarterbacks who will be asked to do something different than what they’re used to in 2026: Stay in the pocket. There are plenty of reasons for this change, but for all three teams, keeping their quarterback healthy is the primary reason. Still, it won’t be easy.
At the same time, these quarterbacks will be asked to play in a fundamentally different way from under center. Jackson was in a more conventional offense during his time at Louisville, but he has shredded teams out of read concepts in the run game, which has also created running lanes for Derrick Henry. Daniels' ability to pick up yardage with his legs in key spots was essential for the Commanders as they sustained drives on third and fourth downs in 2025. And Hurts has three under-center dropback completions in his entire pro career so far.
It's a big bet by three teams with quarterbacks who have already proved themselves as successful without needing to go under center very often. If those bets work out, Blough, Doyle and Mannion could be in line to earn head-coaching consideration as early as next offseason. If not, well, the world isn't very forgiving to young playcallers. Mannion is the fourth Eagles coordinator in four years. Klint Kubiak had three single-season stints as a coordinator before landing his head-coaching gig with the Raiders. If things go wrong, all three teams could be pursuing new options and moving their quarterbacks back out from under center in 2027.
One major difference between Blough and the other two coordinators, though, is that he’s not new to the Commanders’ organization. Mannion spent two seasons with the Green Bay Packers, his first two seasons in a coaching position. Doyle was previously with the Chicago Bears in 2025, although he has seven years of coaching experience.
Blough is entering his third year as a coach, and all three years have been with the Commanders under Dan Quinn. That is why he is likely to have more success than the other two, at least early in the season. There’s much less of a learning curve for Blough. He already knows the organization, he already knows how Quinn operates, and he already has a relationship with Jayden Daniels.
Is Blough under pressure? Absolutely. The Commanders need him to succeed. Dan Quinn’s job is actually riding on Blough’s success with the offense. If you believe what everyone is saying out of training camp, then you probably already believe he will be successful. And if everyone stays healthy, they probably will be successful. But what happens the second a wrench is thrown in that plan? How the team responds will be a key indicator of how well Blough is doing.
We haven’t seen what this offense can do yet; they weren’t on the field often during the preseason as a unit, so there’s not much to go off of. When they face true adversity against the Eagles in Week 1, that’s when we’ll get a glimpse of how things are really going in Washington.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Commanders' David Blough is under pressure in 2026
