Commanders Coach Dan Quinn Lays Out Washington’s Offseason Blueprint

During the NFL combine, Commanders Coach Dan Quinn discussed Washington’s offseason blueprint to ensure the upcoming 2026 season is not a repeat of 2025.

Commanders Coach Dan Quinn on Pressuring the Quarterback

When discussing his priorities, Quinn stated that strengthening Washington’s pass rush was a major one.

“That ability to affect the QB, it’s one of the biggest tenets in winning the game… the ability to hit and pressure the quarterback. It also forces takeaways. “You want to see somebody that has demonstrated speed and initial quickness to beat somebody on the field… having an explosive get-off to make someone feel overwhelmed. That’s what all the great rushers have.”

Versatility on the Line

While adding to the pass rush is important, Quinn also indicated that having versatility up front is integral. Finding players up front who can create a matchup advantage and move between roles is absolutely imperative.

“I think the versatility will help in some of that… what’s so much fun about coaching him (Donovan Ezeiruaku) — he’s big enough to be a 3-4 end, he’s got the strength that can play inside at nose tackle, and quickness to move. So to see how we feature them on the field together… having the three of those together, that excites me honestly.”

Approach to Mental and Physical Health

The Commanders suffered a litany of injuries last year on both the offense and defense. Most notably, Commanders starting quarterback Jayden Daniels was out for the majority of the season with various injuries. Quinn said that there would be a renewed focus on not only physically taking care of the roster, but also ensuring that their mental health is in check.

On addressing mental health proactively

“I’m hopeful that we get to a point that we’re not talking about mental health just when a tragedy hits, but that we’re talking about it regularly. Then we know we’re making real strides in that.”

And on supporting injured players as people first:

“For my own spot, I want to check on them first to see how they’re dealing with the injury… but more importantly, how’s the man doing? You do feel isolated and separate from the team in those spaces… so you just want to make sure they’re checking in.”