'We looked damn fast today': the Commanders rebuilt the front seven and put Jayden Daniels under center
Washington made its biggest changes on defense, swapped Kliff Kingsbury for David Blough on offense, and is moving Jayden Daniels under center to add play-action and cut his exposure.
The Commanders didn't need to do as much on offense as on defense, but they did plenty of both. They overhauled the front seven, replaced offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury with David Blough, and are reworking the scheme around putting Jayden Daniels under center. Defensive lineman Javon Kinlaw's verdict after one OTA: 'We looked damn fast today.'
What changed on defense?
The front seven got longer and more athletic, enough that a coach described the unit that way after a Wednesday OTA. Javon Kinlaw put it more bluntly: 'We've got some motherf---ers now,' before rattling off the names, then summed up the spring with 'We looked damn fast today.' Defense was where Washington concentrated its offseason resources, and the early in-house reviews are about team speed at the second and third levels.
What changed on offense?
A new coordinator and a new structure. The Commanders mutually parted with Kliff Kingsbury and promoted David Blough, who spent the past two seasons as an assistant quarterbacks coach. The headline scheme change: Jayden Daniels will play under center more, which brings back play-action and reduces how often the offense is one-dimensional out of shotgun. Guard Sam Cosmi said the style 'is very beneficial to us, especially in the run game,' and that being under center 'helps a lot.'
What does Daniels think?
He's sold. 'I love the offense,' Daniels said. 'I love what Blough's doing. I love how he's creating and designing different things.' He looked efficient throwing and moved fluidly in individual drills at the first spring practices. Beyond the scheme, Daniels has talked about avoiding injury in Year 3, and the under-center, play-action emphasis is partly about protecting him by making the offense less predictable and less reliant on him improvising.
What's the bet here?
That a healthier, less one-dimensional Daniels plus a faster defense raises Washington's floor. The under-center shift is a philosophical change designed to lean on the run game and play-action rather than asking Daniels to win from the pocket on obvious passing downs. Pair that with a rebuilt front seven and the Commanders are betting on balance and speed rather than a single splashy addition. The OTA optimism is real, but the test is whether the new structure holds up against live pass rushes in the fall.
Players in this story
Sources
- ESPN: Offseason changes bringing new look to 2026 Commanders
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