Hogs Haven
Editor’s note: Each day, Hogs Haven compiles a collection of articles, podcasts & tweets from around the web to keep you in touch with the Commanders, the NFC East, the NFL and sports in general, with a sprinkling of other stuff. Enjoy!
ESPN
There are 64 offensive and defensive coordinator positions in the NFL. More than half of them have turned over this season.
The total count is 35: 21 new offensive coordinators and 14 new defensive coordinators (technically 15 if you count Zak Kuhr getting the title in New England. But that’s an exceptional case). The turnover in the league has never been greater, as expectations rise higher and faster than ever before. Produce quickly or make room for the next guy.
It’s not hard, as such, to find 10 new coordinators with big questions approaching the 2026 season. Sean Mannion has the fate of quarterback Jalen Hurts in his hands in Philadelphia. Eric Bieniemy needs to bring something — anything! — new to the Chiefs’ stale offense. Jonathan Gannon has to solve a Packers defense without star edge rusher Micah Parsons long enough to stay in the playoff hunt.
None of them made my list. But the 10 who did have Super Bowl aspirations hanging in the balance of their efforts (OK, maybe not the Browns and the Commanders). Still, the stakes are high for these newcomers, a couple of whom will become the Klint Kubiak or Anthony Campanile of this upcoming season.
What does a Kliff Kingsbury/Ben Johnson hybrid offense look like?
The product we see in Week 1 will not be a finished one, and it’s likely Washington’s offense improves over the fall similarly to how the Bears’ offense improved under Johnson in Year 1. Blough is not an experienced coach, but Quinn has been doing this for a long time and knows how to weather the developmental storm while trusting the process. If Blough can land the plane and blend these two offenses, there’s a chance Washington’s offense is one of the league’s most dangerous down the home stretch.
Even if Blough gets the X’s and O’s right, the Commanders are still lacking clear receiver options behind Terry McLaurin and are once again employing a committee of mid-tier running backs. The task is tall in Washington, and Quinn made a huge bet on Blough to meet that moment. This might be the coolest thing we see all season.
Just how Brian Flores are we about to get?
If you have any idea what the Commanders’ defense is going to look like in 2026, DM me and let me in on the secret.
Because Jones spent the past three seasons as Flores’ passing game coordinator, the most immediate and reasonable expectation is that he’ll bring Flores’ defensive philosophy to the Commanders. Flores’ scheme is,...
