Best, worst offseason moves by 2024 Washington Commanders

The Washington Commanders appear to be moving in the right direction, but some of their offseason moves were better than others.  

Here’s the best and worst of what they’ve done in the offseason.

Best | Head Coach

Team owner Joshua Harris simply couldn’t bring Ron Rivera and his 26-40-1 record back for a fifth season with the Commanders. Dan Quinn may not have been his first choice, but the new head coach certainly knows how to build a defense.

As the Seahawks defensive coordinator, Quinn helped Seattle’s “Legion of Boom” allow the fewest yards and points per game from 2013-2014 with two NFC championships and a victory in Super Bowl XLVIII. He also brought Atlanta to Super Bowl LI as head coach of the Falcons in 2017.

Quinn spent the last three years as defensive coordinator for the Cowboys, where the team allowed the fifth-fewest points (18.5) and yards per game (299.7) last season. The Commanders allowed the most yards (388.9) and points per game (30.5) in 2023, making Quinn an excellent choice to replace Rivera.

Worst | Assistant Coach

Washington’s offensive line gave up 65 sacks last year, second-most in the NFL behind the Giants, who allowed a near-record 85 sacks. For obvious reasons, New York fired offensive line coach Bobby Johnson at the end of the season. 

For less obvious reasons, the Commanders hired him to coach their offensive line in 2024. New York ranked in the bottom 10 in sacks allowed in two seasons with Johnson. What he brings to Washington’s sideline remains to be seen.

Best | The No. 2 pick

Kudos to the team for standing pat with the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft. Rather than look to make a name for himself with a flurry of trades, new general manager Adam Peters took the best player available while filling a position of need.

In Jayden Daniels, Washington gets a dual-threat weapon unlike anyone they’ve had since Robert Griffin III. Last year’s Heisman Trophy winner threw for 3,812 yards and 40 touchdowns in 2023 with another 1,314 yards and 10 scores on the ground.

According to SI.com’s Albert Breer, Daniels and Marcus Mariota will split first-team reps in training camp but rest assured, the veteran quarterback will be watching Daniels from the sideline when Washington meets Tampa Bay in Week 1 of the regular season.

Worst | Losing Kamren Curl

After joining the Commanders as a seventh-round pick in 2020, Curl became their starting strong safety midway through his rookie season. He’d eventually play both safety spots and excel in run defense as a box safety.

Curl finished as the team’s second-leading tackler with a career-high 115 tackles (74 solo) in 2023.  In four years with Washington, Curl had 385 tackles, 15 tackles for loss and three interceptions.

Washington signed former Panther Jeremy Chinn to a one-year, $4M contract three days before Curl signed a two-year, $9M deal to join the Rams. Chinn played a career-low 272 snaps last year and hasn’t intercepted a pass or caused a fumble since 2021. Curl could do plenty of both with the Rams next season.