Dan Quinn is not going to simply give any player a starting spot.
Quinn last season shocked everyone, insisting that No. 2 overall pick, Jayden Daniels, go through drills and reps rotating with Marcus Mariota. The announcement of Daniels as the starting quarterback was not made until the completion of training camp, as Quinn publicly proclaimed Daniels his starter on August 19, 2024.
That won’t be the case this year. On Saturday, Quinn, who met with the press, made it clear that there is competition in this camp. There are several starting positions up for grabs and players competing for those jobs.
“We just want to make competition the central theme, like quarterback last year with Jayden and Marcus (Mariota) and at tackle with Brandon (Coleman) and Luke (Cornelius Lucas), and we’re doing it again now with Andrew (Wylie) and Josh (Conerly). It’s part of who we are.”
For example, in 2025, who replaces DE Dante Fowler, S Jeremy Chinn, and Jonathan Allen? Who is the third corner? Who is the starting running back? Who starts until G Sam Cosmi is fully ready to return?
“I never wanted a player to feel anything other than that. If you get this gig, you had to earn it and you had to fight for it. And that’s the world of a competitor. It’s designed some by day, some by period. It takes a while to get there. You have to go through some more evaluations, but it’s important.”
Commanders rookie tackle Josh Conerly Jr. looking to make an impact in his rookie season. #RaiseHailpic.twitter.com/cH6MMhAR6M
— Isaiah Woodley (@iwoodleynews) August 2, 2025
Quinn likes what he sees overall in his rookie class. “It’s a good class, JP. They have maturity; their work ethic is strong. I had told the coaches I was impressed by the amount of work they did in the spring rookie camp, getting the guys ready. It doesn’t show itself at minicamp. They’re still swimming, there’s still too much information. But it does show now. It does show now when they are able to compete and fully express who they are.”
The head coach then singled out WR Jaylin Lane, “I’ve been impressed by Lane. There’s a number of guys who have jumped out to me so far. As we are getting into preseason games, it’s really cool to see them really stand and fight for it. They have put themselves in a good position to do that.”
Jaylin Lane season loading.
The Commanders rookie WR has flashed during the first several days of training camp. pic.twitter.com/XM0xJGrIas
— Scott Abraham (@Scott7news) July 29, 2025
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Commanders coach Dan Quinn singles out one rookie’s performance
