The Washington Commanders finally introduced their new coordinator on Tuesday. Offensive coordinator David Blough met with the media for the first time in his new position, while Daronte Jones made his first appearance since Washington hired him two weeks ago.
Before Jones and Bulla took the podium, head coach Dan Quinn spoke first. Jones spoke for more than 30 minutes, providing his background, discussing plans and discussing current Washington players he likes.
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Here are six takeaways from Tuesday’s media coverage.
David Burrow believes Jayden Daniels will be even better under center
One of the talking points last season was quarterback Jayden Daniels playing more under center. Former offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury played in the shotgun more times than any other NFL team over the past two years. Kingsbury was somewhat dismissive when asked about playing more under center. It’s not that Kingsbury thinks playing center is wrong, but he doesn’t think it will have a huge impact. He likes the advantage of a quarterback playing in the shotgun.
Braff, who spent the past two years working under Kingsbury, expressed why he prefers Daniels under center.
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“I think, you know, it opens up some different scenarios in the run game, some things that I believe in,” Brough said. “It opens up different play moves and goaltending and getting him to the outside in a different way. You know, I think there’s a level of communication that happens under center. I think there’s just a different way to approach things and I’m a big believer in his skill set, his fundamentals and those things that we absolutely loved about him when he got here that are still true.”
These coordinators are teachers
Daronte Jones has a teaching background. You can tell. Each of his answers was specific and offered something unique: He developed an IEP for each player. What is an Individualized Education Plan? Personalized education plan.
“How do we as employees help them improve?” Jones said. “Then when you meet that player and that player gets here and you start to get to know that person, you might have to, again, adjust a little bit in terms of their learning style. Well. Is it more of a drill? Is it more film-based? Is it more of an auditory thing? So, then we can adjust that, but at least have evaluated how to improve the overall 30,000-foot-view plan for the individual player.”
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Braff mentioned teaching several times during his speech. This sentence stands out:
“We’ll make the same things look different and different things look the same and teach it in creative ways,” he said. “I think there are some things that will be very obvious when they come out on the field.”
While the 30-year-old Braff’s playcalling is exciting, it’s his preparation that will make him successful.
jones loves frankie ruvo
Frankie Luvu is great in 2024 but not great in 2025. Commanders changed his role, which affected his performance on the field. Washington’s role has changed due to injuries. Additionally, Luwu struggled with missed tackles. Now, he is entering the final year of his contract. There’s no doubt that Jones liked what he saw from Luvu.
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“Love Frankie Ruvo,” Jones said. “Watched him on tape. Before I got here, we would watch and play tape of him in our conference room. I like his athleticism. He’s best at getting downhill and getting the running backs ahead of the game, which is always the key. You hear a lot about playmaking and putting guys in positions. Position-wise. He’s best when he can get downhill, use his athleticism to win on the edge, use his speed, so time, distance and space to meet those guys and you want to put him in a position to match up with the running backs, who I think are one of the guys that get the least reps and protection on offense.”
Luvu isn’t going anywhere. Jones plans to get Luvu back to his 2024 form next season, when he will be named a second-team All-Pro.
Don’t expect Brian Flores’ defense to be transcripted
Jones has an impressive list of mentors during his time as a coach. While some believe he was hired because of his time working for Brian Flores in Minnesota the past three seasons, Jones has a wealth of experience to draw from. Jones has worked for Marvin Lewis, Mike Zimmer, Vance Joseph, Lou Anarumo and Flores — all of whom were considered the NFL’s top defensive minds at one point or another. You could argue that Flores and Joseph are the two best coordinators in the NFL right now.
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Just because he spent the past three seasons with Flores, don’t expect Minnesota’s defense to be replicated.
“You naturally want to be able to be molded because I’ve been through a lot of different programs and I think that’s my strength,” he said. “I haven’t been involved in too many schemes. You know, everyone comes from a certain type of tree. So, because of that, I’m able to answer your question and be able to implement various things from each scheme that I like and what I want to pull from. So, whether it’s the Zimmer scheme, ‘Hey, I like this on third down, I like the mug look there’. Or if it’s Flores and the versatility and how we can use a guy in a variety of ways based on his strengths, that’s what you want.”
That’s the perfect answer. While everyone wants to see Flores succeed in Washington, Jones doesn’t have the same players, and he realizes that. The great thing about his experience is that he has seen it all. He has been waiting for this opportunity for a long time and he is ready.
Braff and Jones made a great first impression on me
First impression is everything. Of course, we’ve met Braff before, but not in this capacity. What we saw were mostly short films with limited themes. It’s great to see Burra talk about scheme, play calling, offensive structure and personnel. Kingsbury was always welcoming to the media but didn’t often open up. Braff’s answer was thorough. That doesn’t mean he’ll be successful as Washington’s offensive coordinator, but he’s got the process part down.
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As for Jones, he’s also thorough. After Washington hired him, we heard others were impressed by him in his various interviews. Once he interviewed Quinn, he quickly got the job. You see why. What I love about Jones is that he has no false bravado, tough words, or cute little catchphrases.
Dan Quinn hired two versatile coaches. Kingsbury is one of the top offensive minds in the NFL and does a great job for the play-callers, but he always seems to have one foot in the door.
Jones and Burra were impressive on Tuesday. However, their real work will bring results.
Braff thinks RB Jakori Krosky-Merritt has big potential
Braff admitted there will be some adjustments to be made at running back. The Commanders have just one running back under contract for next season, rookie Ja’Corey “Bill” Kroski-Merritt. Kingsbury praised Kroski-Merritt last season, saying he was great with the ball but needed improvement without it. Beal is having a decent season, especially when you consider he was a seventh-round pick.
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Braff likes what he sees in the young running back.
“I think as everyone saw, with all the flashes Bill had in his rookie year, I think it’s really exciting to think about what his second year behind the offensive line will be like,” Braff said. “I think we’ve signed a running back, so there’s definitely going to be an acquisition there. It all depends on how the room looks, but man, very confident in what Bill can do as a starting running back in this league.”
The Commanders will add more running backs, but Krosky-Merritt will have a big role.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commander: 6 Takeaways from Bluff and Jones