When the Washington Commanders hired Kliff Kingsbury as their offensive coordinator in 2024, one of his first hires was assistant quarterbacks coach David Blough. Blough, 28 at the time, had just finished a five-year playing career as an NFL backup after a standout college career at Purdue. One of the coaches he played for was Kingsbury.
Kingsbury was in his fourth and final season as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals in 2022. In December of that season, Arizona signed Blough from Minnesota’s practice squad, and he started two games for the Cardinals that season. During that time, Kingsbury realized Blough would be an NFL coach sooner rather than later.
In 2024, Kingsbury hired Blough, and he and head coach Dan Quinn made it no secret that Blough had
a promising future. After a huge 2024 season, in which quarterback Jayden Daniels broke numerous records and led the Commanders to their first NFC Championship Game appearance in 35 years, injuries ruined the 2025 season. After last season, Quinn chose to part ways with Kingsbury and didn't look far for his replacement.
Washington promoted Blough to offensive coordinator with only two years of coaching experience at any level. If Quinn didn’t promote Blough, Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell planned to hire him.
Blough’s first year has been up and down so far. However, he’s shown promise despite numerous injuries. On Sunday, the Commanders will host the Los Angeles Rams, where Kingsbury serves as an assistant head coach. On Thursday, Blough revealed how often he still speaks to Kingsbury.
“He gave me so much in just two years of coaching underneath him,” Blough said of Kingsbury. “I’m incredibly gracious for my time under him. He’s one of the most gracious people I’ve ever met. And even if it’s a text of encouragement, call it at different low points of the season, he’s reached out; we’ve stayed in contact, he’s over there, I got to back up [Rams QB] Matthew [Stafford] for a couple years and he’s getting to watch him every day, and so we have something in common there, and I really appreciate him, and I think he knows that.”
Some coaches wouldn’t be as gracious as Kingsbury. A coach he hired was the one who replaced him. Fortunately, Kingsbury knows how the NFL coaching world works. Everyone gets fired at some point. It was an opportunity too good for Blough to pass up.
It’s nice to see Kingsbury still supporting Blough. But you can bet on Sunday, this is a game that Kingsbury wants bad.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Commanders OC David Blough reveals words of encouragement from Kliff Kingsbury
