Why Commanders feel David Blough can help Jayden Daniels make leap to greatness

One of the more noteworthy decisions made by the Washington Commanders during the NFL offseason involved the club parting ways with offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury and promoting assistant quarterbacks coach David Blough to serve as Kingsbury's full-time replacement. 

For a piece published on Wednesday, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated explained why head coach Dan Quinn and others associated with the Commanders feel that Blough can help Jayden Daniels do more than reclaim the signal-caller's best form.

Jayden Daniels already showing "evidence" he can thrive under David Blough

"I’d look for Blough to highlight what Daniels is capable of as a passer," Breer wrote. "You’ll see that in the play-action and keeper game. What might be tougher to pick up is how Blough also plans to leverage Daniels’s football IQ by putting more on him and giving him more command at the line. How Daniels is now working cadence, kills and checks presnap are evidence that he can more than handle it. And, quietly, I get the sense that the staff can’t wait for the football world to see what Daniels is going to be in 2026 — especially since a lot of that world seems to have forgotten 2024."

Of course, Breer was referencing how Daniels earned Offensive Rookie of the Year Award honors for the 2024 regular season en route to guiding the Commanders to an NFC Championship Game appearance. Numerous members of the NFL community viewed the Commanders as legitimate Super Bowl contenders last summer, but physical setbacks limited Daniels to just seven starts before he was shut down after he aggravated a previously suffered elbow injury during the season. In the end, Washington won just five contests, and the previously mentioned Quinn may now be on the hot seat.

Stefon Diggs is already making a big difference with the Commanders

Free-agent signing Stefon Diggs and Terry McLaurin are expected to be a dynamic one-two punch at the wide receiver position for Daniels. Diggs has not yet played in a meaningful game as a member of the Commanders, but it sounds like he is already proving his worth to the club.

"Interestingly," Breer added, "the difference-maker here has been Stefon Diggs, who’s immediately stepped into a leadership role, one he deftly handled last year [with the New England Patriots], and set a high bar for the room (as McLaurin always has)."

If Washington can survive the loss of starting left tackle Laremy Tunsil (torn triceps) and Daniels is able to stay healthy, the Commanders could reach the expectations many had for them roughly 12 months ago.