New Commanders QB Jayden DanielsCraig Hudson for The Washington Post via Getty ImagesKey Additions/Re-Signings: G Nick Allegretti, Edge Dorance Armstrong, C Tyler Biadasz, S Jeremy Chinn, RB Austin Ekeler, Edge Dante Fowler Jr., LB Frankie Luvu, QB Marcus Mariota, LB Bobby Wagner, WR Jamison Crowder, OT Cornelius Lucas
Key Departures: LB Cody Barton, QB Jacoby Brissett, G Saahdiq Charles, S Kamren Curl, CB Kendall Fuller, RB Antonio Gibson, K Joey Slye
Free Agency, Trade Grade: B
Draft Grade: B+
EC Project: Adding Experience to Front Office and Roster
Overall Grade: B+
Hiring a retread head coach doesn't always work. However, the Washington Commanders could have done much worse than adding former Cowboys defensive coordinator and former Falcons head coach Dan Quinn.
Quinn knows what it takes to win in the NFC East, and he can show his players what is required to turn around a franchise. Atlanta won only 10 games in the two years before Quinn was hired. By his second season, the Falcons were in the Super Bowl.
Yes, Quinn's team lost Super Bowl LI in epic fashion, but he seems to have learned from that experience.
"We have seen him in a brutally difficult position, go through it, get through it and get back on the horse and say, 'I want another crack at this,'" one source told ESPN's John Keim.
Along with Quinn, the Commanders added Kliff Kingsbury, who also has head-coaching experience, as offensive coordinator. To the roster, they added seasoned veterans like Bobby Wagner, Keenan Allen, Zach Ertz, Nick Allegretti, Tyler Biadasz and Dorance Armstrong. Each of them has had some level of individual and/or team success.
It's an influx of talent and experience that should help change the culture of a franchise that just hasn't had a lot of sustained success.
Washington capped its offseason by taking former LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels with the second overall pick. Daniels is a talented prospect with a high ceiling and a pro-ready floor. Adding him to an offense that features Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, Brian Robinson Jr., Ertz and Ekeler should quickly create fireworks in Washington.
Will the Commanders become instant playoff contenders? Possibly not. They'll still (likely) be rolling with a rookie quarterback, and rebuilding a defense that ranked dead last in 2023 will be a process. However, Washington very much appears to be on a positive track.
*Cap and contract information via Spotrac.
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