David Blough and the Offensive Staffing Thread

[KDawg]

So… the pistol is a backfield alignment, not an offense. It’s similar to shotgun whereas in gun the QB lines up at 5 yards with a back to either side. Pistol is a 3-4 yard QB depth and can have a back flanked to either side… but the primary benefit of pistol is that it can hide your run game.

In gun you can get same side runs, but unless you have a mobile QB on read options, offenses traditionally went the opposite way of back alignment. Which was a major tell.

Pistol entered the equation in order to combat that.

Like gun, it sets the QB away from the line, so it’s easier to see the defensive alignment and rotation.

But it’s only a yard closer to the line.

Pistol is a fantastic backfield alignment and I am all for it, but it’s not an offense in and of itself. It can be run with any of the popular systems of offenses.

And it’s not all that similar to being under center, where the primary issues for quarterbacks stem from: taking the snap, getting into your drop/handoff to get away from the LoS, having a tougher time to see the defense rotate and on handoffs you may completely have your back turned to the defense at times.

Pistol provides outstanding flexibility, but it’s not an offense.

And you don’t need an OL coach who specializes in pistol. It has very little to do with the offensive line.

 

[RWJ]

This is why DJ Williams is QB coach of this team now:

 

[Bulldog]

8-9 record. I hope they are not celebrating that too much, Ron got us to 7-9 and the playoffs too. We all know what happened then.

 

[SkinsNumberOne]

"He never looked at his phone." During a job interview. Wow. So locked in. 🤣

That's hilarious, you know what generation would be so amazed by that. "Harbs was cooking"

 

[DWinzit]

Wholly disagree with this. They do not. We are not starting over either because we have Daniels and the OL set. We also have 5th most cap space available--and more once we cut some dead weight. They have just over $5m. They have names, but their depth is worse than ours--and we swept them, again. Most overrated roster, I'd give you that.

I get we have a QB and OL. Hope the members of the OL fit what the new scheme will be and that they resolve Tunsil. We have a few other building blocks but no studs and hopes in the line up everywhere and it feels as though half the roster are not signed...so not really the roster lol. In year three of a rebuild we should have more and our stud shouldn't be a Punter that's about to turn 36, top tackler 36 and top sack producer almost 37

 

[Primus Porcus]

I get we have a QB and OL. Hope the members of the OL fit what the new scheme will be and that they resolve Tunsil. We have a few other building blocks but no studs and hopes in the line up everywhere and it feels as though half the roster are not signed...so not really the roster lol. In year three of a rebuild we should have more and our stud shouldn't be a Punter that's about to turn 36, top tackler 36 and top sack producer almost 37

Our stud isn't a punter... he's a QB. Our top sack producer isn't 37, he's 28, Dorance Armstrong had 5.5 sacks in 7 games... that's around a 12 sack season. Not elite, but it has a ripple effect.

The foundation of the offensive side of the ball is there. It needs a couple key pieces to take it to the next level.

WR. Add Carnell Tate - WR - OSU and your unit going into next year

Terry McLaurin
Carnell Tate
Jaylin Lane
Luke McCaffrey
I would also bring Burks back, and even look for another piece in FA, maybe Alec Pierce....

TE. I'm not convinced we can't get more out of Sinnott, and maybe Blough has the ability to do so. When he was the starter, there's plenty of film out there of him being open and not getting targeted. if you want to add a receiving piece here your unit is:

X-player
Bates
Sinnott
Yankoff?

RB. I think this is where we could see a big free agent splash type move if we see anything. The name Breece Hall has been floated, so lets make that move. McNichols is a UFA, Rodriguez is a RFA, so even if you lose them....

Breece Hall
Jacory Croskey-Merritt
Add another couple depth guys here, whether it be a late flier or in FA


NOTHING here is daunting. These moves would transform the offensive unit by pushing down the current 'starters' into depth pieces, elevating their value. In this hypothetical, i've signed 3-4 players, and drafted 1.

The other important thing here is your QB depth, but at this point you're not expecting to invest premium draft value in it, it's going to be likely comprised of a late round draft pick, along with some free agent presence, of course that's assuming Mariota moves on. If he comes back, that further simplifies it.

 

[NoCalSkins]

I think there is a decent argument that if you returned the same offense on personnel, but healthy, and they were able to remain relatively healthy for most of the season, the offense would go right back to being good. It doesn't mean I don't think we shouldn't upgrade in spots and round out some of the units to make them stronger, but even in a down & disappointing season where both units suffered, the defense has been the primary problem for two straight seasons and needs a lot more resources to become a respectable group.

 

[burgold]

I think there is a decent argument that if you returned the same offense on personnel, but healthy, and they were able to remain relatively healthy for most of the season, the offense would go right back to being good. It doesn't mean I don't think we shouldn't upgrade in spots and round out some of the units to make them stronger, but even in a down & disappointing season where both units suffered, the defense has been the primary problem for two straight seasons and needs a lot more resources to become a respectable group.

I think that's right. Towards the end of the year, Terry, Deebo, Burks with Bill and CRod were beginning to look somewhat effective. If we assume a healthy Daniels is better than a healthy Johnson/dinged Mariotta then it's not hard to imagine this o being at least average. Moreover, the line with Coleman at LT was getting the job done. With Tunsil it could be even better. I'm not saying I wouldn't like to see upgrades, but the cupboard isn't bare.

 

[NoCalSkins]

I think that's right. Towards the end of the year, Terry, Deebo, Burks with Bill and CRod were beginning to look somewhat effective. If we assume a healthy Daniels is better than a healthy Johnson/dinged Mariotta then it's not hard to imagine this o being at least average. Moreover, the line with Coleman at LT was getting the job done. With Tunsil it could be even better. I'm not saying I wouldn't like to see upgrades, but the cupboard isn't bare.

Yeah and with how I looked at things, it was the fact that for two straight seasons the offense has had to figure out ways to carry the team for the defense. We saw the difference between a season in which a relatively healthy offense was capable versus a season where injuries played a big impact, and even then the offense still didn't look like the weaker unit for most of the games, and I'd argue the team wins a handful more games if the defense was just somewhere in the middle of the pack. This isn't an argument from me to stand pat on offense's personnel, just my perspective of where the big gains need to be made for this team to rebound and make some real noise in the next few seasons.

 

[Bulldog]

I agree the offensive has enough talent with Daniels back and a few targeted moves to be very productive in 2026.

It's really on the OTHER side of the ball where we have perhaps 2 or 3 players and need to find 7-8 starters and key depth pieces.

If Luvu is played at OLB and we get back Amos healthy, I think those are two guys.

Magee looks like a keeper as well and I certainly hope he gets a clear chance to get on the field and grow without 34/35 year old players in front of him that are going to be in their rocking chairs very shortly.

We need a complete reset at safety IMO.

We need a complete reset at DE. If Dorance Armstrong is able to come back at age 27/28 from the serious injury then hopefully he is in the mix as well.

But a lot of these other guys? Replacement level or over 30 and injury prone.

Then we come to Daron Payne and Kinlaw, a pair of highly paid DTs, that made relatively little noise in 2025.

Payne doesn't impress me if his argument is when you put him next to a Jonathan Allen in his prime then he can be effective.

His contract extension put HIM in the position as being the linch pin of the defense and the one OTHERS were supposed to play off of.

We trade Montez Sweat because we don't want to pay him and then resign a lazy player in Payne to a big contract where he puts up numbers in a contract year he never approached before.


Well, we can't blame Peters and Quinn for that move. It was all on Rivera and his brain trust of 65 year old men in the front office.

That type of cronyism in hiring and bringing back retreads is one reason I wanted to see younger assistant coaches, a younger GM and a new vibe here.

Marty Hurney was 68 years old and Mayhew was the administrative assistant answering the phone.

We didn't really have a GM with a pulse. Of course Ron THOUGHT he was a great judge of talent but Dotson, Davis, Forbes and Phidarian Mathis among others show otherwise.

 

[KDawg]

Here are the places I think have starters:

QB: Jayden Daniels
WR: Terry McLaurin
LT: Laremy Tunsil*
C: Tyler Biadasz
RG: Sam Cosmi
RT: Josh Conerly

Need to get Tunsil signed.

Offensive positions we need:
RB
Slot
TE
Possession Outside Receiver
LG

DT: Javon Kinlaw
DT: Daron Payne
Edge: Dorance Armstrong (need a good pass rush opposite or he needs to be removed)
Mike: Bobby Wagner
Outside Backer: Frankie Luvu
Corner: Trey Amos
Slot Corner: Mike Sainristil

If Wagner retires Luvu needs to play inside and stay there. I’d look to trade Payne, but it won’t likely be worth it.

Need:
CB
FS
SS
Edge
ILB

I think we need significant upgrades in many places. And I don’t think the offense is in much better shape than the D. A franchise QB and quality OC made that unit look better than it was.

Blough has his work cut out for him.

 

[Dlts20]

Here are the places I think have starters:

QB: Jayden Daniels
WR: Terry McLaurin
LT: Laremy Tunsil*
C: Tyler Biadasz
RG: Sam Cosmi
RT: Josh Conerly

Need to get Tunsil signed.

Offensive positions we need:
RB
Slot
TE
Possession Outside Receiver
LG

DT: Javon Kinlaw
DT: Daron Payne
Edge: Dorance Armstrong (need a good pass rush opposite or he needs to be removed)
Mike: Bobby Wagner
Outside Backer: Frankie Luvu
Corner: Trey Amos
Slot Corner: Mike Sainristil

If Wagner retires Luvu needs to play inside and stay there. I’d look to trade Payne, but it won’t likely be worth it.

Need:
CB
FS
SS
Edge
ILB

I think we need significant upgrades in many places. And I don’t think the offense is in much better shape than the D. A franchise QB and quality OC made that unit look better than it was.

Blough has his work cut out for him.

I'm ok with our RB situation as is but I'm ok with adding someone also. I love Wagner but his time with us should be over even if he doesn't retire. McGee should be the starter next year at some LB spot

 

[burgold]

I'm ok with our RB situation as is but I'm ok with adding someone also. I love Wagner but his time with us should be over even if he doesn't retire. McGee should be the starter next year at some LB spot

Yeah, I was going to say this. I wouldn't be mad if they gave Bill another chance to prove he could be the starter. If we do I do think we need to re-sign CRod or draft/acquire another guy who can be used as a power back. I really like McNichols. He just always overproduces. In most games, where we weren't trotting out Wide receivers 9 and 10 as our starters, Bill/CRod proved pretty effective despite Kliff's lack of variety calling the run game. That said, I think he's best suited as the little bit of everything backup RB than the third down back. So, maybe we need a hands back.

I guess what I'm saying is I'm pretty comfortable with our starter options at running back, but less so about our depth. From the board, I get the sense that most people feel the opposite. They are looking for a starter.

 

[KDawg]

I think our running back position is in a pretty meh state. We have three guys who are not bad backs, but none are all around game changers that defenses will ever really care about.

Bill can hit a home run. I like him: let’s keep him.

I think we actually need two backs and Bill should only touch the ball ~5x a game until he can develop as a pass blocker and receiver and he hits the designated holes.

Our running back situation is one of the worst in the league and our run game was able to find success because of KK’s scheme with the running quarterback and teams needing to defend the pass (despite having no receivers of note).

I don’t dislike any of our backs. But all three are fringe 2s or 3s in the NFL.

Bill has development potential, but I’m not willing to stake our season on it and I’m certainly not willing to do so if I’m Quinn and I hired an OC with no real experience.

 

[DWinzit]

We definitely need a more dynamic well rounded RB. Someone that can be relied on as a starter and can stay in for 3rd down scenarios. They need to be good in pass pro for Jaydens sake.

 

[Riggo44]

 

[HTTR]

Count me in as well. Absolutely get a stud 3 down running back. It’s a position that doesn’t break the bank in FA.

K9 Walker would be nice. I like him as much as Breece and he’s probably cheaper since everyone seems to have Breece on a higher tier. Breece would be a great get too, of course. We could easily afford either one.

 

[burgold]

We definitely need a more dynamic well rounded RB. Someone that can be relied on as a starter and can stay in for 3rd down scenarios. They need to be good in pass pro for Jaydens sake.

The question I always wrestle with is how much improvement is fair to expect? Bill showed a lot for a rookie. I know ROTW doesn't mean enough but he shone enough to get it four times. Now, he does need to improve his pass pro and his hands (catching and fumbling,) but do we know he can't/won't do that?

The problem of always getting a free agent answer is that we never give our pups a chance to grow. Now, if the team decides that Bill's ceiling is good and Love really is an Erik Dickerson, Marshall Falk, elite back... then upgrade. But as with Magee and some of the other pups, I still don't know the answer. I don't know if they can be developed into a guy who can get the job done.

That's a problem.

If you always seek the sure thing in free agency, do you make every pup a perpetual back up?Maybe it do have to hedge your bet and find someone who can do it in case the answer is "no" but maybe the question of Bill, Magee and others is that we need to coach up our guy and improve their areas of weaknesses so that they can become the guy.

 

[Boone]

Well, I agree that the coaches hired so far have upside but are not proven. At the same time, how do you know if you have a Shanahan or McVay on the staff unless once you see the study habits, natural instincts and intelligence in the candidate you actually give them a chance?

What we have done in DC for years is go after retread candidates and older coaches who are set in their ways and are going to run the systems they are comfortable with even if the talent on the roster and those players we are drafting are not direct fits.

It seems as if the 'perfect' solution at these coordinator positions is to go get a Belichick or Shanahan level coordinator and bring him here to buckle up this organization and push us forward.

The problem with that is the market for proven coordinators that are still in their primes is extremely competitive.

These candidates want to come to a spot where they see talent on hand that perhaps hasn't been used properly but appears to have the potential to make a one year turnaround so that they then can be candidates for a HC spot.

Washington has a franchise quarterback, but we have the 29th ranked defense and our most talented players on offense are 30 or over.

We also don't have a bevy of draft picks unless Peters is able to work some magic come April.

So, the Commanders IMO are not a team that a McDaniel or Flores is going to land on unless we pull a Snyder and offer them DOUBLE or TRIPLE what anyone else is offering them.

And because of that type of deal you are basically giving them independence from the head coach to ply their trade here and then we reprise what happened with Kingsbury the past year or two where he basically ignored any feedback from the team.

I agree with this. I don’t think KDawg or I have a problem per se with taking a chance on Blough. The criticism isn’t about Blough, it’s about Quinn hiring 2 coordinators and having to part with them either due to incompetence or the inability to get on the same page. That’s failure. And doing so at the OC position when you have someone pretty competent (note I didn’t say perfect) has raised eyebrows and it should. I know you hold Kingsbury in less regard but I think that’s a minority viewpoint in terms of how most NFL analysts see him.

Let’s hope Blough is the next big thing and that they somehow convince a very competent DC to take the job.

 

[Commander Wraith]

I was working through this post and discovered it kind of highlights how conflicted I feel about the idea of using premium resources on adding a back…

Personally, I’d like to upgrade our #1 RB spot, I’d like to add a 3rd down back, but I’d love to add a guy that can be both. Hall and Love obviously fit the bill, though there are some other options as well.

With that said, I think our running backs offer a significantly higher floor than a lot of other positions (if we re-sign Rodriguez and McNichols). Outside receiver, slot receiver (even if Lane/LMC offer some potential), DE opposite Armstrong (and a quality rotational/depth guy), corner (starter and depth - you can never have enough corners), pass-catching TE, LG (I still have some hope for Coleman there though and maybe Wylie moves over), and S.

And that’s not even getting into questions about our linebackers (Luvu’s usage, can Magee handle a starting role and the green dot), DTs (do we have a difference maker?), what we do about kicker, our backup qb and backup center. Not to mention re-signing Tunsil (and Way presumably).

Of course with that said, RB is more cost effective than trying to land a stud at one of those other positions, and Love is probably a safer bet than other prospects we might take in the 1st.

I think we’d all be thrilled by what Hall or Love would bring to the field. Hall offers far more than if his money were spread to a rotational DE (like Jacob Martin) and say a quality #4 corner. However, would we still feel that way if JJB or Drake Jackson and some scrub corner are pressed into action due to injuries? I don’t know.