Dan Quinn‘s arrival excited everyone in Commanders country. Former Commanders player Morgan Moses even vouched for the transformation, saying, “Now they’ve got a coach that can lead by example. He’s a players’ coach. And people want to follow him. That makes the process a lot easier.” But fast-forward to Friday night, and it’s a brutal wake-up call.

The New England Patriots rolled into FedEx Field looking like the most physical team they’ve had in years and completely steamrolled the Commanders 48-18 in the preseason opener. Sure, Washington didn’t have most of its starters out there, and yes, New England kept plenty of their big names in early. Still, putting up nearly 50 points on any defense isn’t something you can just shrug off—especially in front of your home crowd.

Worse yet, Quinn’s biggest headache wasn’t even the scoreboard—it was his wide receivers. With Terry McLaurin still in a contractual standoff, this was a perfect chance for the rest of the group to step up. Instead, it was déjà vu from Wednesday’s joint practice. Chris Moore dropped the very first pass from Hartman. Luke McCaffrey caught one ball, only to get drilled for a one-yard loss, and then limped to the locker room before halftime with what looked like an injury.

After the game, Quinn revealed that McCaffrey had actually been fighting through an illness but couldn’t finish. Still, the head coach didn’t hold back. “If you get your a– kicked and we’re in the fight the whole time, I can live with that. … I can live almost with any result when you put it all in and do it right, but when it’s sloppy and not to the standards, man, that burns my a–,” he fired.

Not only that, Dan Quinn made it crystal clear that this wasn’t up to Washington’s standards—on any front. “We had [13] penalties. … They stacked and that showed sloppiness to me — and the practice was just the opposite. You know how I feel about penalties, so that did not make me happy,” he said. For a coach who’s preached discipline from day one, this performance was the exact opposite of what he expects—and it’s safe to say he’s not letting it slide. However, WR isn’t the only issue Quinn is facing.

Dan Quinn’s QB dilemma

Jayden Daniels didn’t inherit anything last summer—he earned it. Every snap, every drill, every eye-opening throw was a product of relentless work. From the grind of camp to the final preseason snap, he simply outpaced the competition. As Dan Quinn now calls it, that was the defining “theme of competition.” A year later, Daniels finds himself again in a quarterback room in transition, only this time the circumstances are shifting for very different reasons.

Now, the latest twist has only intensified the spotlight. On August 6, Quinn confirmed Marcus Mariota is out for 7–10 days with what he described as a minor setback. “The concern level is low,” Quinn said, hinting he might return before the season opener. And with Mariota out, Daniels got a heavy share of the practice reps—something that speeds up Washington’s offensive install but also exposes their thin QB depth.

Even so, the challenge isn’t numbers—it’s balance. “We just want to make competition the central theme,” Quinn reiterated, pointing to last year’s QB battle between Daniels and Mariota. But without Mariota running second-team snaps, that merit-based environment becomes harder to maintain. Daniels risks overexposure, while the offense beyond him suffers from a lack of rotation.

As a result, the Commanders might be forced to consider short-term insurance if Mariota’s recovery drags on. The real issue isn’t Daniels’ skill—it’s overuse. Camps are designed to preserve arm health, yet Washington is running without a healthy No. 2 QB.

Ultimately, Daniels is absorbing an unusually high volume of work across all phases, from walkthroughs to situational drills. The risk isn’t just fatigue—it’s the ripple effect. Backup receivers, linemen, and depth pieces lose valuable live reps, potentially stalling the very roster development Quinn is trying to build.