Washington elevates 30-year-old Blough as it reshapes the offense

The Washington Commanders made different unexpected offseason move, promoting David Blough to violative coordinator aft lone 2 years arsenic an adjunct quarterbacks coach, a root told ESPN connected Friday. The determination comes days aft Washington mutually agreed to portion ways with violative coordinator Kliff Kingsbury connected Tuesday, with aggregate squad sources saying the sides had antithetic visions for the discourtesy going forward.

Blough precocious took connected the backmost manager duties aft Tavita Pritchard, who antecedently held that role, was hired arsenic Stanford’s caput manager connected Nov. 28. Now, Washington is handing him the play-calling steering instrumentality adjacent earlier than astir astir the league would expect.

Washington moves to support a manager others wanted

The Detroit Lions besides showed involvement successful Blough for their violative coordinator opening, and Washington did not privation to suffer a manager it views arsenic a rising talent, adjacent astatine conscionable 30 years old. Chicago, Detroit and the New York Jets besides showed involvement successful him past offseason, sources said, a motion his estimation has been gathering rapidly wrong coaching circles.

Blough’s inheritance is antithetic for a coordinator this young, nevertheless it helps explicate the appeal. A erstwhile quarterback, helium played 5 seasons successful the NFL with 4 organizations, appearing successful 9 games with 7 starts. He spent clip with Detroit from 2019 to 2021, was connected the Lions’ signifier squad successful 2023, and joined Washington’s unit a twelvemonth aboriginal nether Kingsbury. Blough besides concisely played for Kingsbury successful 2022 earlier being chopped the adjacent season.

Kingsbury often praised Blough’s shot IQ and his acquisition successful antithetic systems, including nether Ben Johnson successful Detroit and Kevin O’Connell successful Minnesota. “He's precise bright, there's nary doubt,” Kingsbury said past month. “He's been astir immoderate large violative minds ... truthful his biggest strengths are helium sees it from the lens of the subordinate and yet helium tin benignant of abstracted and inactive beryllium the coach.”

A demanding style, and a enslaved with Jayden Daniels

Blough developed a beardown narration with backmost Jayden Daniels, including a Friday regular wherever they played a shot mentation of H-O-R-S-E earlier practice. Kingsbury said Blough besides pushes players hard due to the fact that helium “maximized who helium was arsenic a player,” adding: “he's not going to fto him disconnected the hook if it's a lazy rep.”