Commanders Coaching Changes Spark New Vision for Dan Quinn

With David Blough and Daronte Jones leading a revamped staff, Dan Quinn explains why Washington had to leave its 2025 struggles in the past.

Published on Feb. 21, 2026

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Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn has overhauled his coaching staff, bringing in new offensive coordinator David Blough and defensive coordinator Daronte Jones, among other changes. Quinn says the team must leave behind its disappointing 2025 season and recapture the energy and swagger that led them to the NFC Championship Game in 2024. The coaching changes are part of Quinn's mandate to build a championship program and move the team forward.

Why it matters

The Commanders struggled mightily in 2025 after a 12-5 debut season for Quinn in 2024. The coaching overhaul is an attempt to get the team back on track and regain the winning formula they had just a year ago. Quinn is hoping the new staff can help the players rediscover the right attitude and style of play that made them successful.

The details

Quinn has dismissed coordinators Kliff Kingsbury and Joe Whitt Jr. and brought in David Blough as the new offensive coordinator and Daronte Jones as the new defensive coordinator. Other changes include a new offensive line coach, quarterbacks coach, and defensive line coach. Quinn says the decisions to part ways with some coaches were difficult, but necessary to move the team in a new direction.

  • The new league year begins for the NFL on March 11, 2026.

The players

Dan Quinn

The head coach of the Washington Commanders who is overhauling his coaching staff after a disappointing 2025 season.

David Blough

The new offensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders, taking over in just his third year of coaching.

Daronte Jones

The new defensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders, with nearly 30 years of coaching experience between college and the NFL.

D.J. Williams

The new quarterbacks coach for the Washington Commanders, and the son of franchise legend Doug Williams.

Doug Williams

The senior advisor to the general manager for the Washington Commanders and the father of new quarterbacks coach D.J. Williams.

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What they’re saying

“Full stop 25, alright. I had to do that first. Enough beating myself up, [and] others in that way. And so, the energy, the swagger that we create, the standards that we want…For me, it always starts first with practice and the speed, the effort, the execution of that.”

— Dan Quinn, Head Coach (WUSA9)

“When there's time for change, those are difficult conversations, discussions, but at the end, you just keep going back, what's the best thing for the team moving forward? What's the best thing for them? And so, if I put it into those spaces, what do we need to do moving forward? What things need to change, and how would we go about that? Then you look at it from that lens, and that's certainly what I had to do because it's a difficult part of it. You build bonds with coaches and with players, and so when you move on from them, it's challenging.”

— Dan Quinn, Head Coach (WUSA9)

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Walker Reed Quinn out on bail.

The takeaway

This coaching overhaul is Dan Quinn's attempt to recapture the energy, swagger, and winning formula that made the Commanders successful in 2024, while leaving behind the disappointment of 2025. The new staff, led by Blough and Jones, will be tasked with rebuilding the team's identity and culture to get the Commanders back on track as a championship contender.