When you have success, other teams come calling. The Washington Commanders aren’t accustomed to other teams wanting so many of their coaches. Over the last month, multiple teams have requested interviews with offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr., quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard, assistant QB coach David Blough and assistant head coach/pass game coordinator Brian Johnson.
NFL teams can deny permission for others to interview staff members if it’s not a straightforward promotion. For instance, Pritchard interviewed with the Jaguars and Johnson with the Texans for their vacant offensive coordinator positions. Those would be promotions for either of those coaches, much like Kingsbury and Whitt interviewing for head coaching positions.
The Jets, Bears, and Jaguars all requested permission to interview Blough, and the Commanders denied all requests. Like Kingsbury, Blough will return next season.
In related news: The #Commanders blocked assistant QBs coach David Blough from interviewing for the #Jets job. He’s staying in Washington. https://t.co/nPiebGG33I
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) February 2, 2025
This is another big win for Washington. Blough, 29, finished playing in 2023, and the 2024 season was his first as a coach. He played for Kingsbury with Arizona in 2022, impressing the former Cardinals head coach.
It didn’t take long for Blough to impress others, too, including head coach Dan Quinn. Quinn, Kingsbury, and quarterback Jayden Daniels have taken turns praising Blough this past season. Daniels had a particularly strong rapport with the former Purdue quarterback.
Beginning in training camp and occurring every Friday during the season, Blough and Daniels engaged in a game of quarterback “PIG,” which would be pretty competitive. They discussed it below.
Every Friday Jayden Daniels and #Commanders Assistant QB coach David Blough go head-to-head in a game of quarterback ‘PIG’. It’s some of the best competition we see at practice every week @wusa9 @JayD__5 @david_blough10
“It’s super competitive. It’s a lot of trash talking” pic.twitter.com/wCg4hgg3PJ
— John Doran (@JohnDoranTV) December 28, 2024
It looks like every member of Washington’s offensive staff will return, which is good news for Daniels and the Commanders. If Kingsbury departs for a second head coaching job next year, Blough could be in line for a promotion.