The Washington Commanders seemingly aren’t done with reshaping their coaching staff on offense, with an emphasis on surrounding star quarterback Jayden Daniels with familiar faces, even one whose biggest claim to fame in the NFL is helping Carolina Panthers signal-caller Bryce Young live up to his draft status.
Young finally played like a No.1 overall pick this season, and assistant quarterbacks coach Mike Bercovici is credited with having “played a big role” in his development. That’s according to NFL Insider Jordan Schultz, who reported on Monday, January 12 “The #Commanders have requested to interview #Panthers assistant QBs coach Mike Bercovici for their QBs coach position on OC David Blough’s staff.”
Bercovici is an ideal candidate to step into the role vacated when David Blough was promoted from Daniels’ position coach to offensive coordinator. As Schultz pointed out, Bercovici “crossed paths with Jayden Daniels at Arizona State in 2019.”
Blough’s ascension made it clear which direction the Commanders are going in without Kliff Kingsbury calling the plays. It’s now all about ensuring Daniels has the best chance to mature into a legitimate franchise QB1 once he’s fully healthy.
The rewards of that process are worth the Commanders taking a risk with a youthful, first-time OC and an equally young and inexperienced support staff.
Jayden Daniels Needs Bryce Young-Like Leap
Young long appeared out of his depth after being taken with the top pick in the 2023 NFL draft, but things changed in a spectacular way this season. Dave Canales took over as head coach, but he kept key staff members, including Bercovici.
The braintrust around Young helped the third-year pro throw for 23 touchdowns and post a career-best 63.6 completion percentage. Those numbers propelled the Panthers to the NFC South title and a first playoff berth since 2017.
Daniels had a similar impact on the Commanders as the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2024, but things turned sour during his second campaign. Multiple injuries, including a dislocated elbow, stalled his development, while Daniels struggled with decision-making when he was on the field.
He’s indicated he wants greater ownership of the offense, but Daniels needs to work on his mechanics. Bercovici is the right tutor as a former pro quarterback, who also coached under another ex-NFL signal-caller, Frank Reich, in 2023.
Pairing Bercovici with Blough, assuming the Panthers allow the latter to speak with other teams, would put two QB-centric teachers in key roles for designing the playbook. It would be a gamble, but the Commanders would also be doubling down on trusting the most important aspect of their team to bright young thinkers.
Commanders Trusting Youth Drive on Offense
Blough is just 30, so adding another 30-something to his staff would leave the Commanders short on experience. Yet, as 106.7 The Fan’s Grant Paulsen pointed out, hiring Bercovici “Would also be the start of trying to layer young talent below Blough in the event things go well (because he’d become a hot name as a HC candidate).”
Stockpiling the best up-and-coming coaching minds is a smart way for the Commanders to safeguard the future, but overlooking the value of play-calling veterans could be a mistake.
That’s a relevant concern when, as Tom Schad of The Washington Post pointed out, Blough’s “leap from asst. position coach to coordinator isn’t unprecedented in the NFL, but it’s damn close. Climbing the coaching ladder is a slog. It’s rare to skip steps. Only guy I’m aware of who did this before Blough? Grant Udinski, last year.”
Blough hasn’t called plays before, while Bercovici, assuming he joins the staff, has only been coaching in the pros since 2020. It means the Commanders could potentially have the two most important coaches around Daniels embarking into uncharted territory.
That dynamic would merit a note of caution, but at least Blough and Bercovici, who was also a competent college quarterback, can provide Daniels with expert knowledge about what it takes to progress at the position.
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