Kevin O’Connell’s Backup QBs Are Suddenly Calling Plays
The quarterback room under Kevin O’Connell has quietly become something else, too: a coaching incubator.
Two former Minnesota Vikings passers — Sean Mannion and David Blough — just earned notable promotions this offseason. Both are now on track to be play-callers in 2026.
The jump from fringe roster player to trusted offensive voice usually takes years of grinding through quality-control roles. For two former backups to skip steps and land meaningful responsibilities this quickly says something about how they were viewed inside buildings.
Sean Mannion’s Rapid Rise
Mannion always felt like a coach-in-waiting. In the upcoming season, he’ll be the Philadelphia Eagles’ offensive coordinator.
During his time in Minnesota, he built a reputation as the classic “extra set of eyes” quarterback — part backup, part sounding board, part coaching assistant. Coaches trusted him. Teammates leaned on him. That kind of reputation tends to matter when playing days wind down. It didn’t take long for him to land on a staff.
After breaking into coaching as an offensive assistant and quickly moving up the ladder, working with quarterbacks in Green Bay. Now, he’s taken another sizable step forward with a full-fledged offensive leadership role.
For a former career backup, it’s a steep trajectory. But if you watched how he operated in Minnesota, it’s not surprising at all.
Ask anyone who followed those Vikings teams closely and they’ll tell you the same thing: Mannion basically functioned like an extra assistant coach on game days. He was constantly talking through looks with Kirk Cousins, helping organize the sideline, and breaking down tablets. Some backups just hold a clipboard. Mannion was always working.
Last year, Cousins said about his former colleague, “I really can’t speak highly enough of Sean to you. It would be difficult for me to fully articulate how much I believe in him, how much he helped me as a player when he was in the quarterback room with me, how much I leaned on him to just be another voice, another set of eyes, another person to go to for input. And I think I played my best football around him largely because of his involvement there. So, when it was time for his playing career to wind down, it seemed like a natural fit for him to go into coaching.”
David Blough Following a Similar Path
Blough’s story isn’t all that different.
Like Mannion, he carved out an NFL career as a smart, reliable reserve — the type of quarterback coaches love having in meetings even if he’s not taking many snaps on Sundays.
After joining the Washington Commanders staff in a supporting role, Blough impressed enough behind the scenes to earn a major bump. Now he’s stepping into a much bigger offensive role, which is a significant leap for someone only a couple of years removed from playing. Just like Mannion, he earned a promotion and will serve as the Washington Commanders’ offensive coordinator.
It’s the kind of fast-track promotion you usually only see when an organization really believes in someone’s football IQ and leadership. Clearly, Washington does.
And like Mannion, Blough never survived in the league because of arm talent. It was preparation. Coaches trust the guys who know the answers before the question is even finished. That’s the type that ends up calling plays five years later, not the guy with the biggest highlight reel.
Not a Coincidence
At some point, this stops being random.
O’Connell’s background as a former quarterback has always shaped how he builds that room. Communication. Film work. Teaching. Collaboration. It’s less “backup stands quietly with a clipboard” and more “everyone coaches.”
So when guys leave Minnesota and immediately start climbing coaching staffs, it tracks. They’ve basically been training for it already.
Mannion and Blough may not have filled up stat sheets during their playing careers, but they’re proving something else matters just as much in today’s NFL: understanding the game well enough to teach it.
And lately, that Vikings quarterback room looks less like a depth chart and more like a coaching pipeline. One can only wonder whether Carson Wentz or Brett Rypien will be next.
You must be logged in to post a comment.