Latest news with #DanQuinn
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Dan Quinn continues to praise these two young Commanders
One week into training camp, and you could make the case that the Washington Commanders' defense has been the more impressive side of the ball. That's noteworthy because Washington's offense was among the NFL's best last season. However, it's early in camp, and the defense almost always has the early advantage. While Washington's defense deserves praise for how its started training camp, several offensive players have stood out at various times over the first week. Two of those players were Day 2 draft picks from the 2024 NFL draft: tight end Ben Sinnott and wide receiver Luke McCaffrey. We've profiled each player recently and specifically predicted a breakout campaign for McCaffrey. So, it's no surprise that when head coach Dan Quinn speaks to the media, he's asked about the progress of some of his young players. This week, Quinn discussed Sinnott and McCaffrey. "Two players come to mind going into second year on the offense regarding the skill spots, Luke and Ben, and in different ways they both made their impact, and you see them just the confidence, so much more knowledgeable in the system," Quinn said. "There was a play Ben had on a seam route yesterday that took a certain check against the blitz that he and [QB] Jayden [Daniels] had to go execute. A year ago, that would've been harder for him to have that nuance. And you saw that yesterday with Ben." Next, Quinn focused exclusively on McCaffrey: "With Luke, it's been a lot of the same where he can go outside and inside, but the smallest skill work adjustments have been made," he said. "He was always somebody that could pick up on the offense quickly. He's got a background as quarterback, but you kind of see maybe before there was still sometimes, I think like a quarterback now you see him thinking like the receiver. And I think, although that sounds like counterintuitive, more knowledge wouldn't that be better? The finest of the details at the receiver position, that that's what I see now.' This is not the first time Quinn has praised Sinnott or McCaffrey. Far too often, some in the media and fans don't believe a player is having a strong training camp if his name isn't mentioned every day on social media. Sinnott has received some positive attention as of late, but we haven't yet heard a lot of chatter on McCaffrey. That shouldn't be a bad thing. Just remember: if a player isn't all over the practice highlight reel on X, it doesn't mean he's struggling. This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Dan Quinn continues to praise these two young Commanders
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Commanders HC Dan Quinn joins 'Back Together Weekend'
Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn catches up with NFL Network's Steve Wyche and Brian Baldinger on the grounds of the Commanders training camp.
NBC Sports
a day ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
2025 Washington Commanders Fantasy Preview: Jayden Daniels can turn it up a notch with revamped roster
After an impressive rookie season, Washington Commanders' Jayden Daniels comes in at No. 5 in Chris Simms' 2025 QB rankings, falling in the "Surgicality" tier with his great decision-making and ability to limit mistakes. No NFL team had a better turn around from 2023 to 2024 than the Washington Commanders. Going from a 4-13 record and having the number two overall draft pick (Jayden Daniels), to 12-5 and a trip all the way to the NFC Championship game is an elite jump. Look no further than the coach-quarterback duo of Dan Quinn and rising year-two quarterback Daniels. The Commanders found several ways to win nine (including playoffs) one score games which is something you have to do in the NFL to separate yourself from teams. Despite going deep into the playoffs, the Commanders rightfully attacked the offseason to improve in areas where they lacked. Their main focus was building more around their star quarterback by adding players like Laremy Tunsil, Deebo Samuel and Josh Conerly on the offensive side of the ball. To improve on their 18th ranked scoring defense, they added depth on the defensive line and defensive backfield with players like Von Miller and Will Harris. The Commanders should be in the mix again. 2024 Washington Commanders Stats (Rank) Points per game: 28.5 (5th) Total yards per game: 369.6 (7th) Plays per game: 64.8 (5th) Dropbacks per game: 41.2 (11th) Dropback EPA per play: 0.21 (4th) Rush attempts per game: 30.9 (5th) Rush EPA per play: 0.03 (4th) Coaching Staff Over the course of his career, Dan Quinn has proven to be the ultimate players' coach who has a knack of getting the best out of his players. He's recently done so in Atlanta, Dallas (as a defensive coordinator) and now in Washington as the Commanders are coming off a season in which they shocked the world finishing in the NFC title game. How will the encore go? Well, he and the Commanders' have done everything in their power this offseason to make sure they stay afloat in a competitive NFC East. One thing's for certain, it starts with No. 5 at quarterback and he hit the jackpot there. Speaking of 'No. 5', the guy who will work with him the most will once again be Kliff Kingsbury who guided the Commanders' offense to being one of the best in the NFL in 2024. He'll continue to prioritize the spread/air raid offense with a mix of RPO's to keep defenses off balance. The Commanders will once again have one of the more fantasy-rich offenses in the NFL due to Kingsbury's uptempo style of play. An offensive mind like Kingsbury will always find ways to throw new wrinkles and evolve his scheme, but don't expect him to move away from the main thing. Passing Game QB: Jayden Daniels, Marcus Mariota WR: Terry McLaurin, K.J. Osborn WR: Deebo Samuel, Jaylin Lane WR: Noah Brown, Luke McCaffrey TE: Zach Ertz, Ben Sinnott, John Bates Jayden Daniels was QB4 in terms of fantasy points per game last season. Many are calling for some type of 'regression' since he had such a great rookie season, but is throwing for 3,568 yards and 25 touchdowns (with nine interceptions) really much of a ceiling? Eh I don't know about that one, I guess maybe if you add in the fact that he added another 891 yards and six touchdowns on ground. In this era of football though (with the above mentioned uptempo style offense), why can't those numbers be duplicated by an ascending talent? There's only two guys in drafting over Daniels and their names are Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen. Not only will Daniels be better, but the offense will be better around him. This starts with the addition of Deebo Samuel who will operate as their WR2 behind Terry McLaurin. Samuel will help out the offense in many ways starting with the fact that he can help alleviate attention off of McLaurin. He'll be someone Daniels can hit quickly in short areas of the field to use his RAC ability. While Samuel only finished as WR45 in 2024, he, along with his 49ers' teammates suffered a number of injuries. He should be drafted as a WR3 or WR4 on your fantasy teams. McLaurin on the other hand enjoyed his best season from touchdown standpoint hauling in 13 which was by far the best of his career. He ended last season as WR15 which was also the best of his career. With Deebo now on the fold, don't be shocked if McLaurin is second on the team in receptions yet still leading the team in receiving yards, touchdowns and fantasy points. Behind those two Noah Brown would get first dibs as the team's WR3, but don't count out rookie Jaylin Lane and second-year Luke McCaffrey. What we expected last season from the Commanders' tight ends isn't what we got. Ben Sinnott came in (and still is to be honest) last season as a versatile rookie tight end who could be used in a variety of ways. His season ended with a 5-28-1 stat line, but there is still hope. What we got was a resurgence from 34-year old, three-time Pro Bowler Zach Ertz who had his best season since 2021 (66-654-7). This made him the TE11 in fantasy last season and he'll likely be drafted in this range this season so long as he's attached to the Commanders' offense. Running Game RB: Brian Robinson, Austin Ekeler, Jeremy McNichols, Jacory Croskey-Merritt OL (L-R): Laremy Tunsil, Brandon Coleman, Tyler Biadasz, Sam Cosmi, Josh Conerly I would've loved to have seen the Commanders attack the running back position much earlier in the draft with a true game breaker as it would help the offense get closer to its ceiling. The Brian Robinson-Austin Ekeler duo was serviceable as last season RB24 and RB30 respectively. Jeremy McNichols also filled in nicely when called upon. What you see is what you get with this group. Robinson will continue to be the offenses battering ram who gets most of the carries near the goal line (59.5% of WAS carries inside the 5 last season) and short yardage situations, while Ekler be their main pass-catcher out of the backfield (53.8% of WAS RB receptions last season). 24-year-old rookie, Jacory Croskey-Merritt is the obvious unknown in terms of how he can potentially fit in the offense. He's certainly the quickest and most explosive of this running back group (4.45 in 40-yard dash and 41 ½ inch vertical) and it's not an elite one he'll have to contend with. He brings skills that the other Commanders' backs lack so if he can find his footing in camp, perhaps he can integrate himself into this committee. Another part of why I don't like all of the Commander regression talk is because they attacked their offensive line needs with a vengeance. Trading for Laremy Tunsil while still at the top of his game is big for Daniels and this offense. Coming back in the draft and securing one of the better tackles in Josh Conerly in the first round tells you everything you need to know about how they felt about their line. This unit is now deeper with a good blend of young guys and veterans to help his Commanders' offense once again play at a top eight level. 2025 Washington Commanders Win Total Win Total (O/U 9.5) There's a lot of talk of 'regression' when it comes to the Commanders heading into 2025. To me it's a strawman conversation and easy to have when you're talking about a team who went from four wins (in 2023) to 12 and ended up in the NFC Championship game. In that case anything less than reaching that point would technically be 'regression', but let's be real, the Commanders will be in the mix and that doesn't mean they have to duplicate exactly what they did last season. In fact, I feel like this offseason the Commanders moved like a team who was still hungry acquiring players like Deebo Samuel, Laremy Tunsil and drafting Josh Conerly in the first round. They also made efforts to improve their 13th ranked defense. This isn't some fluke team, they went and beat two quality teams (Buccaneers and Lions) on the road in the playoffs. As long as Jayden Daniels is driving the bus, this team will have a shot, give me the over.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Mike Sainristil describes competitive battles with Deebo Samuel
Dan Quinn stresses competition. Part of his culture with the Washington Commanders is competition. That's also his favorite part of training camp. Quinn doesn't just mean players at the bottom of the roster fighting for a spot, but he wants his best players competing with their teammates. Washington's current roster is full of those players. That's how you know you're building it right. Second-year cornerback Mike Sainristil is a rising NFL star, but he's always striving to be better, much like quarterback Jayden Daniels. Look no further than Washington's acquisition of wide receiver Deebo Samuel. One of the NFL's best offensive weapons since he entered the league in 2019, Samuel is reinvigorated since arriving in March. Samuel is a competitor too, so it's no surprise that he and Sainristil have had some fun battles in practice through one week of camp. Sainristil spoke to the media on Tuesday and mentioned his battles with Samuel. "I've appreciated having him on the opposite side of me because I just know every single rep is going to be a rep to get him better, get me better," Sainristil said. "And I feel like that's what I needed was to have somebody like him who's going to push me and help me get better. We've done extra things after practice, whether it's walkthrough tempo, jog tempo, it doesn't matter. Just every single day, we both have the mindset of we're going to battle, we're going to compete, you're going to get better, I'm going to get better." That quote made Quinn smile. That's what he wants from every player on the 90-man roster. Embrace the competition. It's no coincidence that Samuel and Sainristil are both having outstanding training camps this summer. This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Mike Sainristil describes competitive battles with Deebo Samuel
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Highlights from Day 6 of Washington Commanders training camp
Day ? One day after their first practice in pads, the Washington Commanders were back on the practice field for Day 6 of training camp on Tuesday. The day began with some unexpected news as offensive lineman Nate Herbig told head coach Dan Quinn he was retiring. Herbig was entering his seventh NFL season in 2025 and was competing for one of the backup guard spots. On the field, it was another day without Terry McLaurin, as other receivers looked to separate themselves in the battle to earn one of those final WR spots on the 53-man roster. What else happened on Tuesday? It's time for our Day 6 highlights, courtesy of those in attendance in Ashburn. Day 6 first player to the field is … *drumroll* … Deatrich Wise Jayden Daniels throwing with Tavita Pritchard looking on WR/TE split drills #Commanders @team980 Michael Gallup gets some work in catching errant passes: Ben Sinnott: Terry McLaurin hat trick Let's go Von 🗣️@VonMiller | #RaiseHail Commanders GM Adam Peters and team president Mark Clouse are here at today's practice Got a few clips of Deebo. #RaiseHail Love to see Doug Williams signing for kids. Connecting generations. I think Commanders second year linebacker Jordan Magee is going to take a leap this certainly learning from the best in Bobby Wagner, Frankie Luvu and Ken Norton Jr. Commanders head coach Dan Quinn is like the energizer never stops. High motor.
