# David Blough
**David Blough** (born 1995 in [Carrollton, Texas](https://www.edgepedia.org/carrollton-texas)) is an [American football](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-football) coach and former quarterback who is the offensive coordinator of the [Washington Commanders](https://www.edgepedia.org/washington-commanders), a position he took over in January 2026 after two seasons as the team's assistant quarterbacks coach.[1](https://www.commanders.com/news/commanders-name-david-blough-offensive-coordinator) • [2](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/saints/bvaqvsl0fwdhlxu6wnw2.pdf) Before coaching, he played five NFL seasons with the Detroit Lions and Arizona Cardinals after a record-setting college career at Purdue.[1](https://www.commanders.com/news/commanders-name-david-blough-offensive-coordinator)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1995, Carrollton, Texas[2](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/saints/bvaqvsl0fwdhlxu6wnw2.pdf) |
| Playing career | Detroit Lions 2019-21 and 2023, Arizona Cardinals 2022; 9 games, 7 starts, 1,435 passing yards, 6 touchdowns[1](https://www.commanders.com/news/commanders-name-david-blough-offensive-coordinator) • [3](https://www.nfl.com/players/david-blough/stats/) |
| College | Purdue 2015-18; school record 572 passing yards in one game; 69 career touchdown passes, third in school history[4](https://as.com/us/us/2019/11/28/nfl/1574969543_135431.html) |
| Coaching career | Commanders assistant quarterbacks coach 2024-25, quarterbacks coach for the rest of 2025, offensive coordinator from January 2026[1](https://www.commanders.com/news/commanders-name-david-blough-offensive-coordinator) • [5](https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/david-blough-will-be-the-commanders-quarterbacks-coach-for-the-rest-of-the-season) |
| 2024 unit results | Washington quarterbacks set a franchise single-season completion percentage record (69.5) with 29 passing touchdowns and 9 interceptions[1](https://www.commanders.com/news/commanders-name-david-blough-offensive-coordinator) |
| 2026 scheme | More plays under center for Jayden Daniels and a balanced run-pass attack, replacing Kliff Kingsbury's shotgun-heavy system[6](https://www.nfl.com/news/commanders-two-first-time-coordinators-blough-jones-jayden-daniels) |
| Education | Bachelor's in organizational leadership and master's in health and kinesiology, Purdue[1](https://www.commanders.com/news/commanders-name-david-blough-offensive-coordinator) |
## College career at Purdue
Blough was Purdue's starting quarterback from 2015 to 2018, a period that followed [Drew Brees](https://www.edgepedia.org/drew-brees)'s era at the school in the late 1990s.[4](https://as.com/us/us/2019/11/28/nfl/1574969543_135431.html) He left his mark on the program record book: his 572 passing yards against Missouri in the third game of the 2018 season remain the most by a [Boilermaker](https://www.edgepedia.org/boilermaker) in a single game, and his 69 career touchdown passes rank third in school history, behind Brees (90) and Mark Herrmann (71).[4](https://as.com/us/us/2019/11/28/nfl/1574969543_135431.html) He also ranks third in Purdue history in completions and starts and fourth in passing yards, and he finished 13-23 as a starter.[7](https://stories.purdue.edu/blough-kerrigan-rising-as-nfl-coaches/)
The 2018 season, his senior year and [Jeff Brohm](https://www.edgepedia.org/jeff-brohm)'s second as coach, produced three victories against ranked opponents, including an upset of third-ranked Ohio State at Ross-Ade Stadium.[7](https://stories.purdue.edu/blough-kerrigan-rising-as-nfl-coaches/) In that game Blough completed 25 of 43 passes for 378 yards and three touchdowns without an interception, outplaying Ohio State's Dwayne Haskins.[4](https://as.com/us/us/2019/11/28/nfl/1574969543_135431.html)
## NFL playing career
Blough went undrafted in 2019 and signed with Detroit, where injuries to [Matthew Stafford](https://www.edgepedia.org/matthew-stafford) and [Jeff Driskel](https://www.edgepedia.org/jeff-driskel) made him the third quarterback in the rotation.[4](https://as.com/us/us/2019/11/28/nfl/1574969543_135431.html) His professional debut came on [Thanksgiving](https://www.edgepedia.org/thanksgiving) 2019 against the Chicago Bears at Ford Field, and he scored on his first two offensive series, beginning with a 75-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Golladay.[4](https://as.com/us/us/2019/11/28/nfl/1574969543_135431.html)
He started five games for the Lions that season, all losses, completing 94 of 174 passes for 984 yards with 4 touchdowns and 6 interceptions.[3](https://www.nfl.com/players/david-blough/stats/) • [8](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BlouDa00.htm) He appeared in one game in each of 2020 and 2021, then started two games for the [Arizona Cardinals](https://www.edgepedia.org/arizona-cardinals) in 2022 under head coach [Kliff Kingsbury](https://www.edgepedia.org/kliff-kingsbury), throwing for 402 yards with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.[3](https://www.nfl.com/players/david-blough/stats/) His final professional appearance included an 18-yard touchdown pass that set up Arizona's game-winning two-point conversion.[9](https://www.nfl.com/players/david-blough/) He finished his career with four seasons on the Lions (2019-21; 2023, the last on the practice squad) and one with the Cardinals, totaling 1,435 passing yards and six touchdowns.[1](https://www.commanders.com/news/commanders-name-david-blough-offensive-coordinator) • [10](https://www.nfl.com/news/commanders-promoting-assistant-quarterbacks-coach-david-blough-to-offensive-coordinator)
## Coaching career
**Washington Commanders.** Blough made the jump from player to coach in February 2024, when head coach Dan Quinn hired him as assistant quarterbacks coach on Kliff Kingsbury's offensive staff.[10](https://www.nfl.com/news/commanders-promoting-assistant-quarterbacks-coach-david-blough-to-offensive-coordinator) In 2024 he helped lead a quarterback unit that set the highest single-season completion percentage in franchise history (69.5), threw the fifth-most passing touchdowns in a single season (29), and recorded the third-fewest interceptions in a single season (9).[1](https://www.commanders.com/news/commanders-name-david-blough-offensive-coordinator) That season rookie quarterback [Jayden Daniels](https://www.edgepedia.org/jayden-daniels) accounted for 4,459 offensive yards and 31 total touchdowns, and the team reached the NFC championship game.[1](https://www.commanders.com/news/commanders-name-david-blough-offensive-coordinator) • [11](https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2026/09/11/nfl-season-preview-daniels-commanders-bounce-back)
When quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard left for Stanford during the 2025 season, Blough took over the quarterbacks coach job for the remainder of the year, and he played a major role in preparing three different quarterbacks to start multiple games for Washington in 2025.[5](https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/david-blough-will-be-the-commanders-quarterbacks-coach-for-the-rest-of-the-season) • [1](https://www.commanders.com/news/commanders-name-david-blough-offensive-coordinator)
**Offensive coordinator.** After the Commanders fell from a 12-5 record and the 2024 NFC championship game to 5-12 in 2025, the staff was overhauled and Kingsbury moved on.[10](https://www.nfl.com/news/commanders-promoting-assistant-quarterbacks-coach-david-blough-to-offensive-coordinator) • [6](https://www.nfl.com/news/commanders-two-first-time-coordinators-blough-jones-jayden-daniels) The team named Blough offensive coordinator in January 2026, keeping schematic continuity while replacing Kingsbury.[1](https://www.commanders.com/news/commanders-name-david-blough-offensive-coordinator) • [12](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2026/01/09/commanders-david-blough-offensive-coordinator//) The promotion drew attention because Blough had only two years of coaching experience and had never called plays in the NFL, making him one of the youngest play-callers in the league.[11](https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2026/09/11/nfl-season-preview-daniels-commanders-bounce-back) • [13](https://www.commanders.com/news/commanders-david-blough-offense-get-loud)
His 2026 offense is planned around using Jayden Daniels more under center and a balanced run-pass attack, a shift from the Kingsbury system that led the league in shotgun (quarterback formation a few yards behind center at snap) and no-huddle usage, while retaining elements of that system that appealed to Daniels.[6](https://www.nfl.com/news/commanders-two-first-time-coordinators-blough-jones-jayden-daniels)
## Personal life
Blough earned a bachelor's degree in organizational leadership and a master's degree in health and kinesiology at Purdue.[1](https://www.commanders.com/news/commanders-name-david-blough-offensive-coordinator) He is married to Melissa Gonzalez, an Olympian who specializes in the 400-meter hurdles and the 4 x 400-meter relay.[1](https://www.commanders.com/news/commanders-name-david-blough-offensive-coordinator) As a player he worked under coaches including [Dan Campbell](https://www.edgepedia.org/dan-campbell), Ben Johnson, Kevin O'Connell, and Kliff Kingsbury.[1](https://www.commanders.com/news/commanders-name-david-blough-offensive-coordinator)
## References
1. [Commanders name David Blough offensive coordinator, Washington Commanders](https://www.commanders.com/news/commanders-name-david-blough-offensive-coordinator)
2. [2025 NFL Record & Fact Book](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/saints/bvaqvsl0fwdhlxu6wnw2.pdf)
3. [David Blough Stats Summary, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/players/david-blough/stats/)
4. [¿Quién es David Blough, el QB titular de Lions en Thanksgiving?, AS.com](https://as.com/us/us/2019/11/28/nfl/1574969543_135431.html)
5. [David Blough will be the Commanders' quarterbacks coach for the rest of the season, NBC Sports](https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/david-blough-will-be-the-commanders-quarterbacks-coach-for-the-rest-of-the-season)
6. [Commanders introduce new coordinators; Jayden Daniels to play more under center with OC Blough, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/news/commanders-two-first-time-coordinators-blough-jones-jayden-daniels)
7. [Blough, Kerrigan rising as NFL coaches, Purdue Stories](https://stories.purdue.edu/blough-kerrigan-rising-as-nfl-coaches/)
8. [David Blough Stats, Pro-Football-Reference.com](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BlouDa00.htm)
9. [David Blough Stats, News and Video, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/players/david-blough/)
10. [Commanders promote assistant quarterbacks coach David Blough to offensive coordinator, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/news/commanders-promoting-assistant-quarterbacks-coach-david-blough-to-offensive-coordinator)
11. [NFL season preview: Daniels, Commanders hope to bounce back, Axios Washington D.C.](https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2026/09/11/nfl-season-preview-daniels-commanders-bounce-back)
12. [Commanders name David Blough offensive coordinator, The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2026/01/09/commanders-david-blough-offensive-coordinator//)
13. [Smoot: David Blough brings 'new vision' to Commanders offense, Washington Commanders](https://www.commanders.com/news/commanders-david-blough-offense-get-loud)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › American football players, coaches, and executives › Quarterbacks › 2010s quarterbacks › Quarterbacks entering the NFL 2016–2019*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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