4 critical observations from Commanders 2024 minicamp Day 3
By Dean Jones
Commanders seeing growth from Quan Martin
Quan Martin caught the eye with a sensational interception during Day 2 of mandatory minicamp. That made the headlines, but the versatile defensive back is someone who's caught the eye of Dan Quinn and his exceptional coaching staff over early workouts.
The former second-round selection impressed when given prominent reps over the second half of 2023. Where he'll be deployed within Quinn's creative defensive scheme remains to be seen, but this is the sort of player he's had success with previously. Something that can hopefully benefit the Washington Commanders next season and into the future.
When discussing Martin's progress, Quinn was excited about where he's at and what is ahead for the player based on comments via the team's website. It's an ongoing evaluation, but the head coach thinks the Illinois product is a perfect fit for his system based on the outstanding impression left over early workouts.
"I thought he was just a really good tackler and so at safety there's probably even more communication that takes place from last year. He was featured a lot playing nickel. And so, for a guy that can do both of those, that's a really big push. Man, I'm really excited about what he is, what he can be and I just feel like he's one of those people I'm feeling this momentum take place for him to ride this big wave in because he's just gaining confidence in this new system and that's really important to do that this time of year, so, then the month of training camp that he's really ready to apply it."
- Dan Quinn via Commanders.com
Martin is fast, physical, and dynamic. This intriguing athletic skill set gives Quinn and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. extra creativity regarding his deployment. Couple this with the free-agent signing of Jeremy Chinn, and Washington's secondary has a notable injection of explosiveness in pursuit of bouncing back next season.
Optimism is growing around Martin. Putting this momentum to good use when training camp arrives will cement his importance.
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