David Blough is the first name to emerge as a candidate for the Detroit Lions’ vacant offensive coordinator position. The Lions certainly have more names in mind that they will consider for the position, but Blough’s emergence has certainly evoked a lot of emotion in Lions fans.
I, too, have some complicated thoughts about Blough as a candidate for the job. So let’s break them down: my four reasons I like him and three reasons I don’t.
4 reasons Blough should be a legitimate candidate
He’s got a firm grasp of the Lions’ scheme
Let’s be honest with ourselves, the Detroit Lions’ offensive scheme does not need a dramatic overhaul. If the Lions can just get back to where they were under Ben Johnson—and they weren’t that far off last year—things can change in a hurry. The Lions’ scheme was one that was carefully developed with Jared Goff at the helm, and Detroit’s personnel was hand-picked to fit what the Lions want to do here. The biggest reason Detroit took a step back this past season was their inability to win up front, not huge schematic blunders. If the Lions go with an external hire, they risk alienating their quarterback and attempting to fix things that weren’t broken.
Blough spent two seasons in Detroit under this scheme (2021, 2023), has a clear rapport with Jared Goff, and throughout his time here, he constantly received praise for his deep football knowledge.
Here’s Johnson mentioning that he saw play-calling in Blough’s future:
“I talked to Tim Boyle right now and I think whenever he decides to hang the cleats up, he’s going to become a coach. David Blough was the same way when he was here. Those guys – you can already see that they want to be potential play-callers down the road.“
And here’s Dan Campbell from 2021:
“He’s smart. He’s extremely smart. He knows where to go with the football, I love his timing. He knows how to command the huddle, he communicates well and on top of that, he’s a hell of a dude, by the way. He just is.”
He’s in higher demand than you may think
Blough may only be two years into his coaching career, but the man has already drawn the interest of several teams. Last year alone, the Commanders had to block interview requests from the Jets (QB coach), Bears (pass game coordinator), and Jaguars (QB coach). Obviously, Aaron Glenn and Johnson chasing him is no surprise considering their shared time in Detroit, but Liam Coen was also interested, and he has no history with Blough. Word is getting around.
He’s already designed some very successful plays
While play-design is only a small part of the job of offensive coordinator, Blough has already been credited with pitching in for some critical plays at critical times. Here’s Commanders QB Jayden Daniels talking about this game-winning touchdown play in Week 16 against the Eagles (via Albert Breer):
“It set up perfectly,” Daniels says of Blough’s concept. “We did that same play in practice, same route, right behind the linebacker, in two-high coverage. That was my first read presnap from what I’ve seen—I’m going to go right here and trust in him to make a play.”
Remember the reverse flea-flicker the Lions pulled off against the Cowboys? That play was called “Boilermaker.” Why? Because Blough, a Purdue alumnus, brought it with him from college.
While the Lions certainly wouldn’t want to have another successful offensive coordinator poached from them in the future, it speaks to Blough’s legitimacy that some believe he’s destined to be a head coach someday soon. David Aldridge, a Commanders columnist for The Athletic, had this to say about Blough:
“But it feels more likely that Quinn will go outside the building, though he’d love to keep assistant quarterbacks coach David Blough, who’s on the fast track to becoming a head coach sometime very soon.”
Blough also made The Athletic’s 2025 list of the NFL’s “50 under 40”— a list of rising young talents in the league at coaching and executive positions. Here’s what authors Jourdan Rodrigue and Mike Jones said about Blough:
“Kingsbury described Blough as ‘one of the brightest quarterbacks I’ve ever been around,”‘and praises his rapport with his players, his insight and communication skills. Blough received interest from Aaron Glenn and the Jets about their quarterbacks coach opening, but the Commanders blocked Blough from interviewing, viewing him as a valuable piece to their quarterback room and with potential to rise through the ranks of their organization.
3 reasons David Blough shouldn’t be a serious candidate
He’s far too inexperienced
Blough’s coaching career has lasted just two seasons, and he’s been an assistant quarterbacks coach for almost the entire time. He’s only led a position group for a month, after Commanders QBs coach Tavita Pritchard left to become Stanford’s head coach.
A meteoric rise like that is a pretty significant risk for a team that is looking to win a Super Bowl right now. While his playing career has given him chances to learn under strong offensive minds like Freddie Kitchens, Todd Monken, Ben Johnson, Kevin O’Connell, and Kliff Kingsbury, his “tree” remains relatively small, and he has basically no time on task in developing a game plan during a week or calling plays.
That path isn’t necessarily unprecedented. Saints head coach Kellen Moore became the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator (then Chargers and Eagles coordinator) after just one year of coaching the Cowboys’ QB room. But he is more the exception than the rule.
Play calling remains a problem
Personally, I think Dan Campbell is best served in a general overseer role. He’s capable of calling plays, but I had two issues with him on the job for 2025. For one, it seemed to pull him away from other duties, leading to questionable game-management decisions with timeouts, challenges, and other key game-day moments. Additionally, while I think Campbell had a good grasp of sequencing and feel for play-calling, he made some very questionable decisions in high-leverage moments, particularly on third and fourth down.
So Detroit would either have to go back to Campbell in 2026 or hand things to Blough, who has zero experience calling plays. Neither choice is ideal, in my opinion.
There are some talented, experienced options out there
After Black Monday has come and gone, there are a surprising number of strong offensive minds out there with great track records. Erik Schlitt did a great job listing 13 candidates for the Lions’ offensive coordinator position. My personal favorites are Ravens OC Todd Monken and Giants OC/interim head coach Mike Kafka. While both are still employed with their current teams, it’s not entirely clear where their future lies as their organizations start their head coaching search.
Other very experienced options include former Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, former Giants coach Brian Daboll, and former Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.
Obviously, hiring one of these candidates comes with its own risk—mainly, whether they will fit the Lions’ current scheme or decide to overhaul things entirely—but in the long-term, these hires could be made with significant confidence they’ll eventually get things in order.
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