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The worst-kept secret in Washington was the Commanders wanting to see quarterback Jayden Daniels under center more in 2026. While he didn’t say it, head coach Dan Quinn’s decision to move on from offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury was tied to a desire to see a shift in offensive philosophy.
When Quinn introduced new offensive coordinator David Blough this week, he said as much.
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“This is going to be an aggressive, balanced attack, but that will probably have more under center than we have in the past,” Quinn said. “That’s also for run action and play passes to generate explosive plays. And so, we’re going to try to feature every part of Jayden in the way that makes him unique and special.”
When Daniels was a Heisman-winning quarterback at LSU, he did it mostly from the shotgun formation. Kingsbury, an Air Raid disciple, called most of his offense from shotgun, so it was viewed as a match made in heaven. In 2024, that’s what it was, as Daniels was a legitimate MVP candidate, leading the Commanders to 12 wins and an appearance in the NFC Championship Game.
How much did Daniels play under center in his first two seasons? Consider this statistic, via Warren Sharp.
That’s an insane number, and considering seven of the top 10 in under-center dropbacks last season made the playoffs, the offensive shift makes sense. Ben Johnson took over the Bears and helped Caleb Williams take a huge leap in his second season. Williams was in the same draft class as Daniels. Also, Drake Maye, picked No. 3 overall, led the Patriots to the Super Bowl in his second season. Maye and the Patriots were also in the top 10.
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Playing under center more doesn’t guarantee offensive success for the Commanders. If Quinn and Blough didn’t think Daniels would be comfortable doing it, they wouldn’t make such a drastic move. Washington knows Daniels will be even more dangerous under center, and that will further open the playbook.
Here’s what Blough said about Daniels playing more under center:
“I think there’s a level of communication that happens under center,” he said. “I think there’s just, there’s different ways to go about things, and it’s something that I’m convicted about that with his skillset, his fundamentals, the things that we absolutely loved about him when he first got here still ring true. And as we grow and develop, you know, I think a lot of teams that you saw even playing deep into the playoffs, you know, it was something that was a foundation of what they did. I think that is something that we would like to implement with him and get him in that position.”
Did you notice Blough brought up the teams playing deep into the playoffs? That’s no accident. While Kingsbury’s offense was dangerous when everyone was healthy, it could be predictable. But when Daniels was playing like Superman in 2024, he always had an answer for every defensive adjustment he faced.
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This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: It’s clear why they moved on from Kingsbury
