Dan Quinn didn’t need a long speech to make his point. He changed the schedule.
What had been set up as a walk-through practice for the Washington Commanders on Monday is now a full practice at 2:30 p.m. ET, with Quinn’s media availability moved to after that session. The shift came after a preseason showing against the Detroit Lions that left plenty to be desired, and it sent a clear message to the roster without Quinn having to say much at all.
Washington’s outing at Ford Field had some bright spots, but the overall performance fell short. Quinn went back over the film and reacted by tightening the screws. The move reads as a warning that slipping standards won’t be brushed aside.
That matters in a building that knows exactly what happened last summer. The Commanders got too comfortable then, and the cost showed up during the regular season. Quinn, widely respected in the locker room, appears determined not to let that pattern repeat.
The tone around the team this offseason had been different. Practices carried more resolve, more urgency, more speed.
The disappointment of last season clearly lingered, and the team seemed intent on making sure it didn’t happen again. Quinn’s schedule change fits right into that mindset: standards first, excuses nowhere.
It also comes at a time of year when teams usually start easing off. Preseason games take center stage, and practice loads often shrink. Quinn went the other direction.
A joint practice with the Baltimore Ravens is coming up, and that will offer a real test of where the Commanders stand. Quinn wants his team sharper before facing a legitimate Super Bowl contender, and an extra practice before that matchup gives Washington one more chance to clean things up.
It’s also a reminder for anyone drifting through camp that the bar is not dropping. Half-measures aren’t the plan. No one gets a pass.
Preseason scores may not count, but how a team works absolutely does. Quinn made it plain after the Lions game that he wasn’t satisfied, and this move was louder than any quote could have been.
Now it’s on the players to respond the right way. Taking it easy is off the table in Washington.
In Other News...
Commanders Face Tough 53-Man Calls After Surprise Preseason Risers
Two preseason games have already given the Commanders a better read on some of the roster battles they thought might take longer to sort out. With final cuts approaching, Washington has been using these games to separate the steady from the shaky, and a few competitors have clearly helped themselves along the way. Athan Kaliakmanis has been one of the more notable risers, especially after Marcus Mariotas injury opened the door for more scrutiny at backup quarterback.
Kaliakmanis has taken advantage of the opportunity, putting together encouraging recent performances that have improved his standing in the QB picture. He is not the only one making the decision harder, either, as Joshua Josephs and Kaytron Allen have also shown enough progress to strengthen their cases for the 53-man roster. For a team trying to trim the margins, that kind of late momentum can matter just as much as any early summer depth chart. [Read more 🡒]
Joshua Josephs Is Making A Stronger Commanders Case Than Expected
Joshua Josephs has already done something in August that tends to get a rookie edge rusher noticed fast. The fifth-round pick for Washington found the end zone on a defensive touchdown in the Commanders second preseason game against the Detroit Lions, giving the defense a rare jolt and offering another reminder that the front seven is still trying to build its identity under new coordinator Daronte Jones.
It was also the Commanders first defensive touchdown since the 2024 divisional playoff round, which adds a little more weight to a play that usually gets filed away as a preseason highlight. For Josephs, the bigger takeaway is the way he has kept stacking encouraging moments while Washington leans into a turnover-driven approach, and that kind of early momentum can make a young pass rusher much harder to ignore when roster decisions get real. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Still Have One Major Problem In Front Of Jayden Daniels
The preseason has already answered a lot for the Commanders, but one of the biggest questions still sits right in the middle of the line in front of Jayden Daniels. Dan Quinn said after the latest exhibition that Washington has not yet settled on a starting center, and the issue has become more pressing because the regular season is closing in fast.
Julian Good-Jones and rookie Matt Gulbin have been splitting the work while Nick Allegretti works through an injury, but neither has taken firm control of the job. For a team trying to protect its young quarterback and build some continuity up front, that leaves Washington with a short runway and very few easy answers. [Read more 🡒]