Dan Quinn showed up to the 2024 NFL combine with multiple objectives – to evaluate that draft class’ prospects but also to recruit. As he built his staff ahead of his first season with the Washington Commanders, he wanted to leave Indianapolis with another name on the coaches’ roster.
The target was a quarterback who had been on the Detroit Lions’ practice squad a year prior: David Blough, who was transitioning into coaching and had more than one team vying for his services.
Blough ultimately signed up to be the Commanders’ assistant quarterbacks coach and was vital to Jayden Daniels’ historic rookie season after Washington selected him No. 2 overall. He’s also part of a trend that is becoming more common across the league.
To develop a young quarterback – the most important investment in perhaps all of professional sports – having a young quarterbacks coach (or assistant quarterbacks coach) can go a long way.
“We have great belief in him,” Quinn said at the 2025 combine of Blough. “This is a coach who you would not know this is his first year in coaching.”
Of the 16 coaches with “assistant quarterbacks coach” in their titles during the 2023 and 2024 seasons, the average age at the start of the season they were hired was 31.25 years old, according to USA TODAY Sports’ coaching database. Moreover, the upward mobility of coaches is closely tied to the quarterback position. Liam Coen (Jacksonville Jaguars), Kevin Stefanski (Cleveland Brown), Dave Canales (Carolina Panthers), Zac Taylor (Cincinnati Bengals), Ben Johnson (Chicago Bears) all held the title at one point throughout their respective coaching journeys. Zac Robinson (Atlanta Falcons) and Grant Udinkski (Jaguars), two current coordinators, also did. Of the 31 offensive coordinators in the league last year, 26 either passed through the quarterback room or previously held the title of “passing game coordinator.”
New Orleans Saints head coach Kellen Moore began his coaching journey as a quarterbacks coach and is expected to extensively work with the quarterbacks on his roster since he played the position professionally. The Saints' starter, for now, is Derek Carr, 34. The average age of quarterbacks when the 2025 season kick offs (for 29 teams, excluding the Pittsburgh Steelers, Browns and Tennessee Titans) is 27.66 years old. (The Titans are expected to take a quarterback first overall later this month; their quarterbacks coach, Bo Hardegree, will be 41 by the time training camp starts.)
Daniels credited Blough with
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