The Commanders' latest coaching hire is a head-scratching move that could backfire next season

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Josh Taylor | Last updated Jan 19, 2026 6:39 PM ET

The Washington Commanders went into the offseason wanting a lot of changes on the offensive side of the ball, and that's exactly what they got after moving on from offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.

Not everything was different, however, after promoting David Blough as the new offensive coordinator for the first time in his career. After that, Blough had to build out the rest of his staff, which included outside hires such as D.J. Williams as the new QB coach. The Commanders had to find a new offensive line coach as well after moving on from Bobby Johnson, and the head-scratching move got even weirder after they just promoted from within again.

Commanders promote Darnell Stapleton and Shane Toubs for the offensive line staff

The Commanders promoted a 30-year-old assistant coach to become the new offensive coordinator, which he's never done before, so giving him a proper supporting staff was crucial. They hired two more younger coaches in their 30's for the quarterback staff, and then promoted from within for the offensive line staff. After moving on from Johnson, who did a great job last year, they just promoted Darnell Stapleton, who was the assistant OL coach last season, and Shane Toub, who was an offensive quality control coach that work with the offensive line.

Sources: Commanders are naming Darnell Stapleton offensive line coach and Shane Toub assistant OL coach. Promotions for both. Stapleton has worked closely with new OC David Blough and been a big part of Washington’s game
planning and protection plans the last two years.
— Dan Graziano (@DanGrazianoESPN) January 19, 2026

This is a very confusing move, to say the least. Why fire the experienced offensive line coach in Johnson, just to promote two assistants who worked directly under him? Stapleton was an offensive line coach in college from 2013 to 2023, but last year was his first year ever coaching in the NFL. The lack of experience on the offensive staff is very glaring and concerning, and could be a move that massively backfires on Quinn.

Quinn is a defensive-minded coach, so it's not like he can step in and help if needed. We haven't heard if the Commanders will be able to keep veterans Brian Johnson and Anthony Lynn around on staff, but at this point, it's a must. The Commanders will have a new offensive system and a lot of new, much younger coaching staff working on the offense, and they won't have a lot of room for errors, so the offseason is critical. Stapleton and Toub will have a chance to get more coaching experience in the coming days that will help.

Darnell Stapleton and Shane Toub named to All-Star coaching staff

The Senior Bowl and the East-West Shrine Bowl are two college All-Star events where top prospects for the NFL Draft showcase their talents and compete against each other to improve their draft stock. Every year, each event creates a coaching staff for the players with multiple coaches from the NFL, and Stapleton and Toub will both be coaches.

Stepleton was selected as an offensive line coach for the National team in the Senior Bowl, and Toub was selected to be an offensive line coach for the West team at the East-West Shrine Bowl. This will at least give them opportunities to get ready for their new positions when they kick things off in Washington this offseason.

2026 Panini Senior Bowl Coaching Staffs

The American and National staffs are set for Mobile, representing 14 teams across the league.#TheDraftStartsInMobile #WherePlayersPlay pic.twitter.com/7XR1ZhY6dc
— Panini Senior Bowl (@seniorbowl) January 19, 2026