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David Blough

David Blough To Finish Season As Commanders’ QBs Coach

December 1st, 2025 at 3:34pm CST by Adam La Rose

Last week, Tavita Pritchard accepted the head coaching position at Stanford. That left the Commanders in need of a replacement quarterbacks coach to close out the season.

At the time of the Pritchard news, assistant quarterbacks coach David Blough was named as the logical candidate to take over. To no surprise, that will indeed be the case. Head coach Dan Quinn confirmed on Monday (via Tashan Reed of the Washington Post) Blough will finish the season as the Commanders’ new QBs coach.

Blough was hired in 2024 as part of Quinn’s first Washington staff. That came shortly after his playing career – which included nine regular season NFL appearances – ended. During last year’s hiring cycle, Blough drew interest from a number of teams, with the Commanders blocking an interview request from the Jets. It will be interesting to see if the Washington’s commitment in this case continues past the 2025 season.

As Quinn has clarified (h/t Reed), pass-game coordinator Brian Johnson will assist in coaching the Commanders’ quarterbacks over the closing stages of the campaign. Johnson has also been a part of Washington’s staff for the past two years. His stint in the nation’s capital began after his run with the Eagles (including offensive coordinator duties for 2023) came to an end. No new assistant QBs coach will be named on an interim basis.

For the time being, Blough’s promotion has him on track to work with veteran backup Marcus Mariota. Starter Jayden Daniels continues to work toward a return as early as Week 14, however. Once Daniels is back in the fold, he will finish out his second year with a new (but familiar) position coach.

Commanders’ Tavita Pritchard Taking HC Job At Stanford

November 28th, 2025 at 10:17pm CST by Ely Allen

The Commanders are experiencing a rare midseason staffing change after quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard was named the new head coach at Stanford University, his alma mater. The move was first announced by ESPN’s Pete Thamel and confirmed shortly after with an official announcement from the school.

Stanford serves as an alma mater for Pritchard in several ways beyond just the traditional sense. Yes, he attended school in Stanford and played quarterback for the Cardinal from 2006-09. While he didn’t win any awards as a player, he once led the Cardinal — as a replacement starter — to an upset win over the top-ranked Trojans when Stanford was a 41-point underdog. After serving as a full-time starter in his junior year, Pritchard took a backseat as a senior behind freshman phenom and future No. 1 overall pick Andrew Luck, who currently serves as Stanford’s general manager.

Following his playing career, Pritchard immediately turned to coaching, joining the Cardinal’s staff as a graduate assistant. He served two years after that as a defensive assistant before getting his first position coaching job as running backs coach in 2013. The next year, he moved to coaching quarterbacks and wide receivers mentoring future NFL names like quarterback Kevin Hogan and wide receivers Ty Montgomery, Trenton Irwin, and JJ Arcega-Whiteside over the next four years.

In 2018, he was promoted to offensive coordinator while retaining the title of quarterbacks coach. While the offense under Pritchard — and then-head coach David Shaw — was never blazing, he was a key part of the development of quarterbacks Davis Mills and Tanner McKee. He accepted the quarterbacks coaching position in Washington for then-head coach Ron Rivera‘s final year leading the team, and he was retained when the Commanders transitioned from Rivera to Dan Quinn and from offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy to Kliff Kingsbury.

According to Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic, Pritchard will coach in the Commanders’ Week 13 game against the Broncos on Sunday night. No plans have been disclosed past that, but the insinuation seems to be that Pritchard will then shift his focus to the NCAA’s early national signing period in early December.

Young quarterback Jayden Daniels won’t lack for mentors, despite Pritchard’s departure. For the remaining five games of the year, Jhabvala predicts assistant quarterbacks coach David Blough could step into full position coaching role, and Kingsbury still stands as a huge influence in his role as coordinator. Blough, who recently retired from his playing career back in 2023, is in his second year on the Washington staff, and the higher-ups like him a lot.

Commanders Block Jets From David Blough Interview; New York Adds Scott Turner, Eric Washington To Staff

February 2nd, 2025 at 8:27pm CST by Sam Robinson

Former coordinators and those on the coordinator interview circuit will line Aaron Glenn‘s first Jets coaching staff. The team has now added two ex-coordinators to Glenn’s staff, with three other additions having received interest on the coordinator level.

Scott Turner is joining the Jets as their pass-game coordinator, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports. Turner closed the season as the Raiders’ interim OC and had previously called plays for the Panthers and Commanders. Glenn is also bringing 2024 Bears DC Eric Washington on as his defensive line coach, CBS Sports Jonathan Jones adds. The Bears moved on from Washington last month.

The Jets are also following through with the rumored Glenn-Chris Harris partnership, with ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter noting the veteran assistant is heading to New York as Gang Green’s defensive pass-game coordinator and DBs coach. Harris had spent the past two seasons with the Titans. Charles London is also moving from Seahawks QBs coach to the same position with the Jets, Pelissero adds. London worked with Harris on the 2023 Titans staff. A recent report indicated the Titans and Harris were expected to separate.

London is heading to New York after the Jets did not receive permission to meet with David Blough. They had reached out to the Commanders about interviewing their assistant QBs coach, but Pelissero indicates the NFC East club blocked the meeting. Clubs are allowed to block contracted assistants, so long as the interview does not pertain to move up to a coordinator or HC post. Blough, who only ended his playing career after the 2023 season, overlapped with Glenn and new Lions OC Tanner Engstrand in Detroit. The Bears and Jaguars also expressed interest in meeting with him, but the Commanders are prepared to keep him for the 2025 season.

Staying on the subject of blocked interviews, the Jets made such a move as well. They are keeping wide receivers coach Shawn Jefferson, SNY’s Connor Hughes adds, pointing out the team blocked other clubs from meetings. A former NFL wideout, Jefferson has enjoyed two tours of duty with the Jets (under Adam Gase from 2019-20 and again last season). He also was a Glenn divisional opponent from 1996-99, as the two would match up as members of the Jets and Patriots. Twice a Super Bowl starter, Jefferson has been a wideouts coach since 2007.

Glenn and Turner have not overlapped, but the latter will be a veteran voice in Engstrand’s first OC season. Turner had come up about possibly joining Bill Belichick‘s North Carolina staff but later emerged on Gang Green’s radar. The second-generation NFL coach will stay in the league as part of the Jets’ staff. Turner served as interim Panthers OC in 2019 and then spent three seasons as Washington’s OC. Ron Rivera fired Turner in 2023, leading the latter to the Raiders as pass-game coordinator. Antonio Pierce bumped him to OC after firing Luke Getsy midseason. Turner has yet to oversee a top-16 offense, but he has 13 years’ experience in the pros.

Washington will return to the AFC East, after his Bears stopover; he previously spent four seasons as Sean McDermott’s D-line coach in Buffalo. Washington did not shift to the play-caller in Chicago until after Matt Eberflus‘ Black Friday firing. The Bears did rank 13th in scoring defense this past season, and Washington also helmed the Panthers’ defense under Rivera from 2018-19. Washington and new Jets DC Steve Wilks were longtime staffers under Rivera with Carolina.

A running backs coach from 2014-20, London transitioned to QBs with the Falcons and has since overseen the position with the Titans and Seahawks. London interviewed with the Commanders to replace Turner in 2023, also meeting with the Titans that year, and met about the Browns’ vacancy last month. He spoke with the Rams about their OC job in 2022. Harris worked with Turner under Rivera for three seasons in Washington but moved to Tennessee in 2023. He has come up for a few DC openings, including the Jets’ this year.

Closing out this sizable Jets staff update, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets they are adding Aaron Curry as their linebackers coach. A former top-five pick, Curry did not pan out as a player. But he has been rising up the assistant ranks in recent years. After a Seahawks stint, the ex-Seattle draftee spent the past two seasons as the Steelers’ inside linebackers coach.

Bears, Jaguars, Jets Request Interview With Commanders’ David Blough

January 30th, 2025 at 9:07am CST by Sam Robinson

David Blough‘s quarterback career lasted through the 2023 season, and the veteran reserve opted to transition to coaching before his 30th birthday. He is already generating extensive interest about moving up the ladder.

The Commanders hired Blough last year, and he spent the season as their assistant QBs coach. As teams observed the success Jayden Daniels enjoyed this season, Blough’s name is already in the mix for a move into a key role. Some of his former coaches are interested in bringing him aboard as QBs coach.

The Bears, Jaguars and Jets have submitted requests to interview Blough, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo tweets. Chicago is eyeing him for its pass-game coordinator job, while Jacksonville and New York want to speak with him about coming aboard as QBs coach. The Bears may no longer be interested, at least regarding the pass-game coordinator position, as ex-Jaguars OC Press Taylor took that job Wednesday night.

Blough, 29, has an extensive history with Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn but did not overlap with Liam Coen. The new Jags HC has taken an extensive interest in Washington’s staff, with the Jags interviewing Commanders QBs coach Tavita Pritchard for their offensive coordinator role Wednesday. Pritchard landing that gig could make Blough a candidate to move up in Washington.

Blough did not receive much playing time as a pro, but that did not stop fellow 29-year-old recent retiree Davis Webb, who has impressed as the Broncos’ QBs coach. Blough is best remembered for his time with the Lions, a tenure that began with a summer 2019 trade. The Lions obtained Blough from the Browns in August 2019 and installed him as a Matthew Stafford backup. As Stafford missed half that season with a back injury, Blough started five games. While he lost all five, his tenure in Detroit continued after the Lions replaced Matt Patricia with Dan Campbell.

Johnson arrived in Detroit during the same offseason Blough did, beginning as an offensive assistant and eventually rising to the OC role. The Lions cut Blough after training camp in 2022, leading him to stints with the Vikings and then the Cardinals — with whom he made two more starts (two losses) to close out the ’22 campaign — but the Lions circled back to the Purdue alum once the Cards cut him in August 2023. Blough spent the ’23 season on the Lions’ practice squad, remaining there until the team’s NFC championship game loss to the 49ers.

Johnson has already gone historically young with his OC post, hiring ex-Webb Denver colleague Declan Doyle, who is 28. Blough would make for an interesting addition. The Jets join the Jags in not yet hiring an OC. The Commanders will see their play-caller (Kliff Kingsbury) return for the 2025 season, but both Pritchard and Blough are drawing interest early.

Commanders Add David Blough, William Gay To Coaching Staff

February 15th, 2024 at 11:17am CST by Adam La Rose

The Commanders unveiled their first coaching staff under new head coach Dan Quinn on Thursday. Many of the additions have already been reported, but a pair of ex-players have found a spot on the staff.

[RELATED: Commanders Add Lance Newmark As AGM, Reassign Mayhew, Hurney]

David Blough has elected to hang up his cleats to take on the role of assistant QBs coach. Blough entered the league as a UDFA with the Browns, but he was dealt to the Lions in 2019. He spent much of his playing career in Detroit, making seven of his starts and nine of his appearances with the team from 2019-21.

The Purdue alum found himself in Arizona for the 2022 campaign, and he made a pair of starts that year. Blough was among the Cardinals’ final roster cuts last summer, however, which led him back to the Lions. He resided on the team’s taxi squad, and made it clear he was eyeing a transition to coaching at some point. He will work alongside returnee Tavita Pritchard in overseeing the Commanders’ signal-callers, a group which could very well include a rookie added with the second overall pick in April’s draft.

Blough will make his first foray into coaching in 2024, and William Gay will likewise take on a full-time NFL sideline position for the first time in his career. The latter, a Steelers cornerback for 10 years with a one-year Cardinals stint in between, saw his final regular season and playoff action in 2017. He took a deal with the Giants in 2018, but he failed to make New York’s roster. The following year, Gay served as a Steelers coaching intern.

The former Super Bowl winner worked as a defensive backs coach at Missouri State in 2020, and he will take on the title of assistant DBs coach with the Commanders. Gay, 39, will pair with Tommy Donatell and Jason Simmons (defensive backs coach and pass-game coordinator, respectively) as the Commanders aim to improve on their league-worst finish against the pass in 2023.

Brian Johnson, added after his tenure as OC of the Eagles, will take on the post of assistant head coach. As Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post notes, though, Johnson will not have a direct play-calling role with respect to the team’s offense. He will instead take on a more general role with a potential future head coaching opportunity in mind.

Among the updates is the title for ex-Chargers and Raiders defensive coordinator John Pagano. He will work as a senior defensive assistant rather than serving as a position coach. Sarah Hogan, meanwhile, will leave the Falcons to work as coaching chief of staff during Quinn’s first season at the helm. He, new OC Kliff Kingsbury and DC Joe Whitt Jr. will be tasked with overseeing improvement from last year’s 4-13 campaign.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 8/31/23

August 31st, 2023 at 9:21pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

  • Signed: WR Kaden Davis, OL Marquis Hayes

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Lions To Bring Back QB David Blough

August 31st, 2023 at 11:00am CST by Sam Robinson

Although Jared Goff is going into his third season as the Lions’ starter, Detroit has seen some quarterback turnover in recent days. Teddy Bridgewater joined the team late in the summer, and previous backup Nate Sudfeld landed on season-ending IR. Hendon Hooker landed on Detroit’s reserve/NFI list.

This leaves the Lions in need at the position — for the time being, at least — and a familiar face will step in. David Blough is re-signing with the Lions on a practice squad deal, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. Blough, who went to training camp with the Cardinals before his Tuesday release, was with the Lions from 2019 until his release last year.

Joining the Lions via trade from the Browns before his rookie season, Blough started five games in place of Matthew Stafford that year. The Purdue alum/Hard Knocks featured cast member backed up Stafford in 2020 as well and then started two games in relief of Goff in 2021. The Lions made a QB2 change after cutdown day last year, cutting Blough to sign Sudfeld. The latter was not needed for any starts last season and is now out out of the picture due to the knee injury.

After joining the Cardinals’ practice squad, Blough became a surprise late-season starter for the reeling team. Blough, 27, is 0-7 as a starter in his four-year career. He returns to Detroit after a new Arizona regime made a number of changes at quarterback.

With Kyler Murray on the reserve/PUP list, the Cardinals released Colt McCoy and traded for Joshua Dobbs. After carrying five quarterbacks in training camp, the Cards have only Dobbs and fifth-round rookie Clayton Tune on their active roster.

Cardinals Get Down To 53 Players

August 29th, 2023 at 7:04pm CST by Ely Allen

The source of some strange, unpredicted preseason trades in the past few weeks, the Cardinals have been busy trying to figure out the 53-man roster they’ll open the season with. While some of their biggest cuts came in the days leading up to the deadline and the team is likely to continue making adjustments leading up to opening day, here are the cuts made to officially set team’s initial 53-man roster:

Waived:

Released:

Placed on IR:

Waived/injured:

Veteran running back Clement and former Ravens standout Williams both fell victim to a resurgent Keaontay Ingram, who surpassed them both on the depth chart after getting healthy. That means a roster spot for undrafted rookie Emari Demercado, who will get to reap the unfortunate benefit of Marlon Mack‘s season-ending injury. He’s joined by undrafted wide receiver Daniel Arias and tight end Blake Whiteheart.

The release of the long-time Cardinals long snapper, Brewer, comes as a bit of a surprise as the only other long snapper on the roster, undrafted rookie Matt Hembrough, is currently on injured reserve. They’ll likely target a free agent who is left available after cut day.

Quarterback Kyler Murray was not moved from the physically unable to perform list, nor was cornerback Garrett Williams moved from the non-football injury list. Both will attempt to make returns shortly after the start of the season. Rookie backup center Gaines’ first NFL season is unfortunately over before it could begin after sustaining a knee injury in the team’s preseason finale.

Cardinals Sign QB David Blough, Place WR Rondale Moore On IR

December 14th, 2022 at 5:34pm CST by Adam La Rose

In need of a new quarterback to fill out the depth chart, the Cardinals have quickly made a move. Arizona has signed David Blough off the Vikings’ practice squad, per a team announcement.

The 27-year-old has spent most of his career in Detroit, making seven total appearances with the Lions. That time includes five starts in 2019. He was among the team’s final cuts this season, though, with Nate Sudfeld being their preferred option as Jared Goff‘s backup. They hoped to keep Blough on their taxi squad, but he made an intra-divisional move to Minnesota instead.

Now, another NFC deal is on tap, and it will allow him to see time on Arizona’s active roster; the spot opened up with Kyler Murray being placed on IR following his ACL tear suffered on Monday night. Blough will serve as Colt McCoy‘s backup for the remainder of the season, and audition for a 53-man spot with Arizona or another team in the process.

The Cardinals also announced on Wednesday that wideout Rondale Moore has been placed on IR. The move means that his season is over, and marks a disappointing end to his second NFL campaign. The former second-rounder was injured early in Arizona’s Week 11 loss to San Francisco, and finishes with 41 receptions, 414 yards and one touchdown for the year. The Cardinals’ already shorthanded offense will move forward with the likes of A.J. Green, Robbie Anderson and Greg Dortch serving in rotational receiver roles.

In a more positive development, Arizona has designated Will Hernandez for return from IR. The veteran guard started each of the first nine games of the season, his first with the Cardinals. He has been sidelined ever since due to a pectoral injury, and his return to action will be a welcomed sight given the injuries suffered up front by D.J. Humphries, Rodney Hudson and Justin Pugh this year.

If Hernandez is activated within the next three weeks, the Cardinals will be left with two IR activations. The offense he will be returning to, though, will look much different than the one he last saw.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/5/22

September 5th, 2022 at 5:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

As Week 1 practices begin, here are the latest updates to teams’ 16-man practice squads:

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers:

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

A former Washington starter and the primary Atlanta cornerback opposite A.J. Terrell last season, Moreau has experience playing both the slot and outside. The former third-round pick signed with the Texans earlier this offseason but did not make their 53-man roster.

The Lions attempted to keep David Blough by offering the Hard Knocks cast member a spot on their practice squad, but the three-year Detroit backup opted to head to Minnesota. He is currently on the Vikings’ 16-man taxi squad. A previous Aaron Rodgers backup, Boyle signed with the Lions last year.

Despite being a former second-round pick, Blair did not make the Seahawks’ 53-man roster this year. Knee injuries have sidelined him for most of the past two seasons. Seattle had stopped using Blair as a nickel, his primary role when on the field with the team that drafted him, during training camp.

Included as part of a 2019 trade that sent Marcus Peters to Baltimore, Young was also traded from the Rams to the Broncos last year. He started all 13 games he played in 2021 — seven as a Ram, six as a Bronco — and helped Denver fill the void created by Alexander Johnson and Josey Jewell‘s season-ending injuries. Young spent most of this offseason with the Raiders but did not make their roster.

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