Things did not go well for the Washington Commanders last season. Hopefully, this will be a blip rather than an ongoing trend, but one NFL analyst pointed the finger squarely at head coach Dan Quinn and his supposedly short shelf life, which quickly becomes stale.
Quinn's culture shift in Washington brought instant results. The Commanders went from having the No. 2 pick in the draft to the NFC Championship game. This meteoric rise woke a sleeping giant and had fans dreaming of a prosperous future. Unfortunately, it couldn't be sustained.
Everything that could go wrong last season did. Injuries weren't helpful, but everyone got a little bit ahead of themselves. Maybe compacency crept in, and the Commanders paid a heavy price.
They won five games, and pressure is now growing on Quinn to make the improvements needed. Fortunately, he didn't lose the locker room, which all but guaranteed another year to turn things around.
NFL analyst hits Commanders with sobering Dan Quinn reality as pressure sets in
Patrick Daugherty of NBC Sports thought this could be the start of Washington's slump under Quinn. While the analyst acknowledged that the coach is always revered by those in the locker room, last season was a stark reminder of his limitations, which have always caused his undoing.
"Players have always loved [Dan] Quinn. That has never been up for debate. 2025 was just a necessary reminder of the limits of personality(-based coaching) in a league where personnel and play-calling are everything."
It's a fair argument. Quinn's impressive tenure as Atlanta Falcons head coach fizzled out just as quickly. He got off to a flyer as Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator, but Jerry Jones didn't make much of a fight to keep him around. His trajectory in Washington hasn't finished just yet, but the worrying signs are there for all to see.
Quinn hasn't waited to make changes. Kliff Kingsbury and Joe Whitt Jr. are gone, replaced by two rookie NFL play-callers in David Blough and Daronte Jones. If the coach is going to fall in Washington, he's going to fall on his own sword. And being so brave when the hot-seat talk is growing deserves immense credit.
General manager Adam Peters is also doing his part. The Commanders have signed 15 new players in free agency. They re-signed some key free agents, and there will be more new additions on the way via the 2026 NFL Draft, undrafted free agency, and the remaining veteran pool. After that, the onus is on Quinn and his staff to mold this new-look roster into a competitive force.
If he can, then the Commanders' bounce-back chances are high. If not, Washington will likely be looking for a new head coach in 2027.
High stakes, indeed.