Commanders' David Blough, Eagles' Sean Mannion face off in Week 1 battle of journeyman QBs-turned-play-calling saviors

As players, David Blough and Sean Mannion never played together, or faced off against each other, not as starting quarterbacks, anyway. But they're set to square off in Week 1 as two of the most intriguing - and most untested - offensive coordinators in the NFL this season as Blough's Washington Commanders open the 2026 NFL season on the road against Mannion's Philadelphia Eagles.

Both were career backup quarterbacks, with a combined 10 NFL starts between them. Each spent time on three or more teams' rosters and practice squads as players. Blough once essentially replaced Mannion with the Minnesota Vikings in 2022. Both ended their playing days following the 2023 season, transitioned to coaching and have been thrust into coveted OC roles early in their coaching careers - and both before the age of 35. They're part of a new group of younger and inexperienced play-callers.

Are they ready for the challenge? Their paths to answering that question start Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field.

They've worked with some of the same coaches throughout their career, or at least some of the same core offensive philosophies. Some of the challenges they're facing in their new jobs and the ideas they want to incorporate are similar, too.

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They're being asked to bring out the best in the star quarterbacks they're coaching. Jalen Hurts has three years left on a $255 million deal and is theoretically entering his prime years at age 28. Jayden Daniels is entering a critical Year 3 of his rookie deal, potentially set to cash in next offseason with a life-changing extension.

How will these two former backups, who earned a little more than $10 million combined as players, handle that pressure? What will their offenses look like and how will they differ from past iterations? Let's dive in on Mannion and Blough, former journeymen turned saviors.

Sean Mannion wants to marry Eagles' passing and running games better

Mannion is now the Eagles' fifth offensive coordinator in five years. He was hardly the expected choice, especially after better-known candidates such as Brian Daboll, Mike McDaniel, Zac Robinson and others interviewed for the job.

Nick Sirianni landed on Mannion, who retired after the 2023 NFL season and was only two years into his coaching journey. He was a QB coach last season for the Green Bay Packers, but has never called plays before.

Eagles fans didn't know what to think of one first-time play-caller replacing another (Kevin Patullo) after a disappointing season. The Eagles went 11-6, but failed to score more than 21 points in 11 games, including the home playoff loss to the 49ers. They ranked in the bottom third of the league in total yards, passing yards, first downs and third-down conversions.

More than anything, the offense looked stale and predictable. Outside of short-yardage situations, the Eagles really didn't have anything they could lean on consistently.

Mannion has been exposed to multiple offensive systems over the years, both as a player and coach. He said he plans to keep the Eagles' tush push plays in place, and there are likely other elements of Sirianni's system he'll keep, but there are expected differences.

Mannion has been a little coy about specific changes, but he's also left a few intriguing breadcrumbs along the way.

Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Sean Mannion watches as the offense runs a drill during a training camp practice. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)AP Photo/Chris Szagola

One is wanting to marry the run and pass better. On a surface level, this can be read as the Eagles wanting to throw or run out of the same formations and personnel groups. But on a deeper level, it means showing the defenses the same window dressing - same alignment, same motion, same backfield action - but each with a "tag" that changes one element of the play.

Think of it like making roast beef sandwiches: Same bread and meat on both, but one has cheese and pickles, while the other has onions and mustard. On the outside they look the same, but inside they're quite different. Those "tags" could turn a run into play-action, change a tight end's assignment from blocking to releasing into the flat, or turn a receiver's out into an out-and-up.

"We want to make sure that as many different elements of our offense fit together, that they look the same and how do we build this wide array of things that kind of start off of a similar type of look," Mannion said in May.

Another change appears to be more emphasis on wide-zone run plays. With this likely comes more under-center work for QB Jalen Hurts, who was almost strictly a shotgun QB in college and his first four NFL seasons. The Eagles have used Hurts more under center the past two seasons, but this could be his highest usage yet.

Even with A.J. Brown now in New England, the Eagles still have Hurts, DeVonta Smith, Saquon Barkley, Dallas Goedert and - assuming its health holds up - one of the better offensive lines in the game. They've also added depth and talent at receiver and tight end. This isn't a group bereft of talent.

The Eagles open with the Commanders and Titans, who struggled defensively a year ago, but the schedule ramps up quickly thereafter. They'll face three of the top defenses in the NFL this season in the Rams, Texans and Seahawks.

Mannion has said his mission is to play to his players' strengths while also attacking opponents' perceived weaknesses. That's how he's attacking this high-pressure position in Year 1.

"I want to be someone who is versatile, who is always looking to attack defenses in different ways, is always looking to evolve and ultimately always looking to maximize the talents of our players," Mannion said.

David Blough hopes to turn Commanders' offense into 'Jayden's offense'

Like Mannion, Blough is relatively new to coaching. The big difference is that he has been in the Commanders' building the past two seasons, elevated to QB coach after Tavita Pritchard left for Stanford in November, then promoted to offensive coordinator in January after Kliff Kingsbury departed.

And Blough wants to do things differently. Kingsbury ran a high-shotgun, fast-tempo, no-huddle system. Blough wants more huddles, under-center snaps and play-action passes and fewer designed QB runs. This means a big adjustment for QB Jayden Daniels, who also must prove he can stay healthy this season.

A lot of these concepts are borrowed from Blough's past stops as a player, including with the Chicago Bears' Ben Johnson (in Detroit) and Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell. Blough also has similar thoughts as Mannion about disguise, telling The Athletic he wants to make "the same things look different, and ... different things look the same."

This is not Blough changing for change's sake, or cobbling together plays and concepts he liked from past teams. He wants this to become "Jayden's offense," in the same spirit that the New England Patriots of yore built their scheme to a T around Tom Brady's skills and kept it going for more than a decade, no matter who was calling plays.

Washington Commanders offensive coordinator David Blough in action during a preseason game against the Miami Dolphins. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)AP Photo/Nick Wass

"At the end of the day, it's about, 'Does this fit Jayden?' Even if I love it and I believe in it, if it's not right for us, then it's not right for us. That trumps everything," Blough said Thursday.

On a fundamental level, huddling more means Daniels speaking more and being more of a communicator, not just being a whiz-bang playmaker fueled on instincts and athleticism. The Commanders, especially Blough and head coach Dan Quinn, are asking him to absorb a more layered, complex offense, be more vocal and then go make the proper reads and adjustments. It's asking a lot of Daniels, who two years ago appeared to be on the verge of greatness but wasn't nearly as effective in an injury-addled second season.

This is all by design. They know asking Daniels to scramble less would be detrimental, potentially taking away one of the best trump cards this offense has had the past two years, yet fewer called runs are meant to help protect the leaner-framed QB.

They also want him to be a more complete quarterback. Blough has mentioned three non-negotiables he believes correlate most to winning: ball security, sound fundamentals and situational football, especially in two-minute situations at the end of halves. If Daniels and the rest of the offense can thrive in these areas, Blough believes success will follow.

But there are potential roadblocks. Receiver depth is a worry. The run game remains a wait-and-see operation. And the offensive line stands as possibly the biggest concern heading into 2026, especially following the injury to left tackle Laremy Tunsil. If the blocking isn't up to par, switching to more of an under-center, play-action offense could lead to some frightening moments.

The Commanders still have Terry McLaurin to fall back on, and the addition of Stefon Diggs gives them two clear separators on offense - if the protection holds up. They also have tight end Chig Okonkwo and running back Rachaad White as safety-valve options. Blough also said earlier in training camp that Daniels was "as accurate as he's even been."

Blough added: "It's a testament to asking him to do something different and him wanting to grow and evolve. That's what this is all about for our whole group."