Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn made big changes to his approach this offseason after the team finished 5-12 last season. The Commanders were the surprise in the league in 2024, making it to the NFC championship with rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. Washington regressed with Daniels' injuries in 2025, and the team didn't play with the same spark it had in Quinn's first season with the team.
To add a sense of urgency, Quinn made changes to his coaching staff, hiring David Blough as offensive coordinator and Daronte Jones as defensive coordinator. More news: Kirk Herbstreit Calls Out Notre Dame for ‘Embarrassing’ Schedule More news: Three Teams That Can Win the Big 12 Per Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, Quinn has made life a little tougher on his players training camp this summer. The practices are longer, more intense, and have a higher sense of intensity during the heat at Ashburn, Virginia.
Quinn is testing Blough, Jones and his players during practices at camp, adding more game situations to the routine instead of scripted periods. And so I think they all got a little sharper and stronger because it was a little bit on the edge," Quinn told Breer. "And so that was a big piece of it in the competitions.
"And then not having as many scripted periods helped some because that also can raise the stress. … Also did it in one-on-ones, like you were going against me, you were a receiver, I was a DB, go Breer against Quinn and put that on the board. It was as many of those as I could. I just tried to ramp everything up.” The change in practice should help the Commanders be more ready for challenging game situations during the regular season.
But more importantly, Washington is bringing back a culture of competition, something that gave the team an edge in 2024 and could help the Commanders return to the playoffs in a wide-open NFC East this season. For more on the Commanders and the NFL, head to Newsweek Sports.
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