Hogs Haven
Washington Post (paywall)
The 30-year-old is just three years removed from his final start as an NFL quarterback.
Washington had been expected to consider recently fired head coaches such as Mike McDaniel or Kevin Stefanski for the vacancy — or perhaps a current offensive coordinator who does not call plays, such as the Los Angeles Rams’ Mike LaFleur. McDaniel and LaFleur both coached on Quinn’s staff during his previous coaching stint in Atlanta.
Instead, the Commanders ultimately interviewed just two external candidates: Dallas Cowboys tight ends coach Lunda Wells and Arizona Cardinals passing game coordinator Drew Terrell, who coached Washington’s wide receivers from 2020 to 2022. They also interviewed passing game coordinator Brian Johnson and tight ends coach David Raih, in addition to Blough. Wells and Terrell are both minority coaches, allowing the search to comply with the NFL’s Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview two non-White or female candidates who are not employed by the team for coordinator vacancies.
By promoting Blough, Quinn is leaving room for some schematic continuity, which would be sensible after the team’s wildly successful season with Kingsbury’s offensive scheme in 2024. But given Blough’s varied experiences as a player, there are sure to be new wrinkles and changes, too. It will be Blough’s first time calling offensive plays.
Quinn is also looking to hire a new defensive coordinator to replace Joe Whitt Jr., who was fired Tuesday. A person familiar with the matter confirmed the Commanders interviewed two candidates for the position Friday: Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham and Kansas City Chiefs defensive line coach Joe Cullen.
Pride of Detroit
It’s been a meteoric rise for Blough, who only retired from his NFL playing days after the 2023 season. Since then, he has been the assistant quarterbacks coach for the Commanders for the past two seasons. He also served as the interim quarterbacks coach for the final month of this past season after Tavita Pritchard left the position to become Stanford’s head coach. While rare, a quick rise up the ranks isn’t unheard of in the NFL. The most recent example is Kellen Moore, who retired from playing in 2017, became the Cowboys’ quarterbacks coach in 2018, and was their offensive coordinator in 2019. Five years later, he was hired to become the Saints’ head coach.
Pride of Detroit
He’s in higher demand than you may think
Blough may only be two years into his coaching career, but the man has already drawn the interest of several teams. Last year alone, the Commanders had to block interview requests from the Jets (QB coach), Bears (pass game coordinator), and Jaguars (QB coach). Obviously, Aaron Glenn and Johnson chasing him is no surprise considering their shared time in Detroit,...
