David Blough reveals critical part of new offensive scheme and why Jayden Daniels benefits from it
David Blough says the Commanders will go under center more in their new offense, and it’ll help Jayden Daniels and the run game.
The Washington Commanders wasted no time making changes when the offseason started, and now there’s a new era starting in 2026.
Head coach Dan Quinn made a change at offensive coordinator, with David Blough taking over for the first time in his career. The move comes with a lot of questions and unknowns with a new system, and what that would mean for quarterback Jayden Daniels.
We finally heard from Blough for the first time in his press conference on Tuesday, and what we should expect in 2026 for Daniels and company on offense.
David Blough gives details of changes coming to the Commanders’ offense
The season was a disaster for the Commanders, and changes had to be made, especially on offense, with a disconnect between Kliff Kingsbury and Quinn. Blough spoke to the media for the first time today about what he will implement moving forward on offense, and why it’ll benefit Daniels as well. Blough was asked about the need to go under center more, and it’ll be a focal point of the offense.
“It opens up some different schemes in the run game, some things that I believe in,” Blough said. “It opens up different play actions and keepers and getting them on the perimeter in different ways. I think there’s a level of communication that happens under center. I think there’s just different ways to go about things, and it’s something that I’m convinced about that with his skill set, his fundamentals, the things that we absolutely loved about him when he first got here still ring true.”
“As we grow and develop, you know, I think a lot of teams that you saw even playing deep into the playoffs, it was something that was a foundation of what they did. I think that is something that we would like to implement with him and get him in that position.”
The Commanders were dead last in the NFL last season under center
It’s been well documented that the Commanders lacked playing under center in Kingsbury’s offense, and it’s a change Blough and Quinn both wanted more of this season. In 2025, the Commanders were dead last in the NFL with just 112 snaps under center, and only 16 were passing plays. Those numbers are unacceptable in today’s NFL, and the top offenses in the league led in playing under center.
Playing under center will be a big change for Daniels, who didn’t do it in college and hasn’t had to since he’s joined the NFL. Caleb Williams and Drake Maye both had to, and they’ve both adjusted well. It’ll bring out the strengths of Daniels with his ability to extend plays with his legs, while also using his arm in play-action, and on the run when windows open up.