Commanders’ Dan Quinn Given Surprising Coach Ranking originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Washington Commanders experienced one of the most remarkable turnarounds in NFL history last season. After a four-win effort in 2023, Washington revamped its organizational structure and won 12 games the following year.
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Quarterback Jayden Daniels gets plenty of the credit, and for good reason. The second-overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft transformed Washington’s offense overnight.
And Daniels’ success should not overshadow head coach Dan Quinn’s impact; this was a group effort, no doubt.
Washington hired the former Atlanta Falcons head coach off the Dallas Cowboys staff to shake up the organization, and that is precisely what he did. Quinn instilled a kind of culture that few coaches have been able to create within the confines of the nation’s capital.
And to top it off? The Commanders reached the conference title game for the first time in three decades.
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All in the first year of Quinn’s regime.
Just because the head coach went through a lot of success, though, doesn’t mean the media universally respects him as a top coach.
CBS Sports writer Cody Benjamin and his view exemplifies that. Benjamin ranked Washington’s coach just 14th in the NFL.
“Few coaches enjoyed such a catapult in stock in 2024. That may be mostly due to Jayden Daniels’ magical dynamism at quarterback. His coordinator hire of Kliff Kingsbury was part of the equation, though, as was his experience on the playoff stage,” Benjamin said.
Cool. But … there are 13 guys who outrank him?
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As long as Quinn and Daniels are bonded – and they certainly are now – each will be a key reason why the franchise has a wide-open window to become a Super Bowl contender.
And maybe the more Washington wins, the more respect Quinn will be given.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 15, 2025, where it first appeared.