A 100-yard kickoff return touchdown on the opening play was the start of a 48-18 thumping at Gillette Stadium that exposed Washington‘s special teams woes and depth concerns. The Commanders’ preseason opener with New England was a warning story of penalty and error. With the cutdown deadline approaching, Washington’s front office, and especially Dan Quinn, acted quickly to remake the roster.

With the August 27 deadline approaching, rosters are getting squeezed, and depth units are being constructed on both sides of the ball. Washington sat most starters at Foxborough and gave youth a chance to play. But poor performance and injury in the opener created holes on both sides of the ball. The front office and Dan Quinn now need to find new faces to plug in before final cuts.

In a quick response following the defeat, head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Adam Peters shuffled the roster. They added veteran cornerbacks Essang Bassey, who started 14 games with Denver last season, and Antonio Hamilton Sr., a special teams ace with more than 80 career games. Linebacker Duke Riley, a physical player with 70 tackles in 2022, also signed to add depth in the middle.

Meanwhile, Quinn released three players to create space and to send a message of accountability. 2023 seventh-round pick defensive end Viliami Fehoko Jr., whose raw rush-bust potential wasn’t enough to overcome inconsistent run defense. Undrafted 2022 free agent cornerback Allan George, who played in four games last season, struggled to mimic opponents in coverage drills in camp. Linebacker Dominique Hampton, the Commanders’ fifth-round pick in 2024, played sporadically after a strong showing at rookie minicamp but couldn’t translate that to full special-teams reps.

By parting ways with these young players, Dan Quinn’s regime makes the point that roster positions are earned on a daily basis, especially with the season-opening lineup effort and obligation. There is a reason for the roster cuts, and that is the Friday night (August 8) game that called for the cuts.

What made Dan Quinn change the roster?

Before the Commanders’ decisive slashes, the 48–18 defeat to New England highlighted one main thing. Just how far this group still has to go. From the start, it was clear Washington’s backups had not matched the franchise’s level of accuracy. In all three phases of play, the team committed 15 penalties, more than twice last year’s average, handing the Patriots 98 free yards and constantly tipping field position in their favor.

Head coach Dan Quinn’s frustration erupted in the locker room. “I thought it was sloppy tonight,” he admitted, “and those are the ones that get under my skin and drive me up the wall.” The miscues varied from a facemask penalty added 15 yards to TreVeyon Henderson’s kickoff return. This was a holding penalty that negated a 16-yard catch by rookie Jacory “Bill” Croskey-Merritt, and an illegal block negated a 26-yard Kazmeir Allen return. Quinn emphasized that while a few infractions were the result of “overtrying,” others merely reflected “a lack of focus,” a mix he maintains won’t get past once the regular season arrives.

Special teams, oftentimes touted by the coaches as a “flagship” unit, took an especially brutal beating. Washington gave up 187 yards on three kickoff returns. This includes Henderson’s 100-yard score to start the game that set the tone for New England’s evening. And it wasn’t just coverage that failed: veteran kicker Matt Gay missed a 49-yarder, dousing momentum ignited by a Jer’Zhan Newton sack-fumble recovered by Jacob Martin at New England’s 31. Dan Quinn described the sequence as “a gut punch” given the time his coaches spend on special teams execution in practice.

On offense, there were bright spots. This includes rookie running back Croskey-Merritt flashing his one-cut vision, turning eight touches into 32 tough yards, and eluding arm tackles until a balky shoulder ended his night early. “I like the skills that we’re seeing from Bill,” Dan Quinn said, praising his quickness and ball security, even if his best gain was wiped out by a penalty. And lineman Josh Conerly graded out well in protection. He avoided sacks in 21 snaps and demonstrated underrated run-blocking finesse on a five-yard grenade up the middle.

Still, context only goes so far. Nearly one-third of the roster, including Jayden Daniels, Deebo Samuel, Laremy Tunsil, and Von Miller, didn’t even suit up. On the other hand, the Patriots trotted out several starters under new coach Mike Vrabel. But Dan Quinn contends excuses won’t raise the bar: the game was Washington’s depth’s learning lab. It’s time to observe who among the young performers can turn those tough lessons into consistent, penalty-free application. If they don’t refine the fundamentals, no late-August signing will make a difference once Week 1 arrives. Will these accountability actions be the cure the Commanders desperately require?