After a disastrous 2023 season that saw the Washington Commanders finish at the bottom of the NFC East with just four wins, they have embarked on a change this season by appointing former Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn as their head coach. Since Quinn’s appointment in February, his reign has already been lauded, thanks to the stellar recruitment done by Quinn & Co. The HC also looks motivated, and he delved further into this in his latest media appearance.
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Appearing on the Jim Rome Show, Quinn iterated that apart from the trust that’s been placed in him by the Commanders’ management, what motivates him to perform to the fullest is to restore the importance of Washington as a team and as a city to the NFL world.
Being the capital of the United States of America, Washington holds immense political and cultural clout globally. DC, for many around the world, is the face of America, and for their team to perform as badly as they have been doing in the past few years, is shambolic. Quinn realizes this and, thus, wants to bring back sporting success to the capital city.
“One, you know how damn important this team is to the NFL. When you see a team and city connected and what can happen when that takes place. It’s really a big deal,” he said.
“One you know how damn important this team is to the NFL. When you see a team and city connected and what can happen when that takes place. It’s really a big deal.”
Commanders HC Dan Quinn on why he chose to take the helm in Washington D.C. pic.twitter.com/xQ2cGDJokh
— Jim Rome (@jimrome) June 18, 2024
The first step to bringing relevance back to the Commanders is quality recruitment. And by picking Arizona State alum Jayden Daniels in this NFL draft, they seem to have hit the goldmine.
Dan Quinn Talks Jayden Daniels and the Future of Washington
Speaking to ESPN, Dan Quinn delighted Washington fans by revealing that first-round pick Jayden Daniels has been making unbelievable progress in training. Quinn noted that Daniels has exhibited immense maturity and swagger in training while not letting his good performances get to his head.
“He’s further along than you probably should be… There’s no doubt that Jayden’s making unbelievable progress here. It was really clear that he’s put in the work. He’s got a swagger to him. He really has a very firm handle on the things that we’re doing, but he also has the humility of a young player … knowing he has a lot to prove,” the head coach said.
While Coach Quinn has not revealed his starting QB yet, glowing praise like this for Daniels can only mean one thing. That said, it’s heartening to see Washington on an upward trajectory after the tough seasons they have had.
Coach Quinn’s passion for getting the Commanders back on track is very heartening to see, and Washington fans might desperately be hoping that the vision meets the execution come September.
