I started writing an analysis on Sunday morning stating that Commanders head coach Dan Quinn’s job status is in some jeopardy — I despise the term “hot seat” — before ever playing a meaningful 2026 snap. And that rough overall record should prompt his ouster after a third season in Washington.
I had a case laid out. It was debatable, but the logic was sound. Then my brain started messing with me. The deeper I got into the story, the more my inner voice started arguing with what was already written.
I stared at it for a while. I read it and re-read it. Then I hit delete.
The more I think about it, the Dan Quinn situation is nuanced, certainly not open-and-shut, and deserves to be treated as such. That’s why we’re taking it to the HH community.
This is now a discussion post where we can debate this thing out. I don’t expect an eventual agreement or even a consensus. Just a (hopefully) rational conversation about Quinn, his role in the past two seasons and what expectations for him should be as we move into a crucial regular season for the franchise.
The Commanders went 12-5 and reached the NFC title game in his first year. They went 5-12 in an injury-riddled campaign that showed Washington was too thin overall and too old and slow defensively.
Does he deserve all the credit for 2024? Nope. Does he deserve all the blame for 2025? Surely not.
Now we’re entering Quinn’s third season, typically a defining year for modern NFL coaches, where teams expect to see a green arrow pointing way up.
He’s obviously sticking around if Washington reaches the playoffs or simply finishes above .500. That would be a four-win improvement over last year and a sign Washington’s headed in the right direction.
Let’s say, for this argument, this Commanders season goes the other way but not downright awful. Heads will obviously roll if the Commanders win just five (or less) games again. No way owner Josh Harris tolerates that.
What if the improvement’s minimal? Is it all about wins and losses, or is the eye test part of all this?
Quinn’s chiefly responsible for Commanders team culture. He’s responsible for player development and coaching development. He’s responsible for game management. If we see red flags there, that’s trouble. If there are talent and depth issues, is that on Quinn?
See what I’m saying here? Nuanced.
So, let’s go over a few scenarios here. If the Commanders are in that 6-8 win range, what do you do?
Let DQ go
There’s a push to find the next great play caller, pay him a ton and let him develop a young quarterback. The trend started with Sean McVay (or maybe Andy Reid) and has been present since. The 49ers got Kyle Shanahan. The Bears got Ben Johnson. Say what you want about his bedside manner, but the Jags got Liam Coen. If you want someone like that, the record won’t matter as much.
Quinn’s of a different mold, a CEO-type coach and organizational leader. There are places where that works, namely with Dan Campbell in Detroit or Mike Vrabel in New England.
If the organization wants a different type of coach, Quinn’s probably gotta go.
Also, how does quarterback Jayden Daniels look? If he’s frustrated or seemingly held back by the system, then you’ve got a problem. If the team gives up on the staff and we see lopsided losses down the stretch, that’s another troubling indicator.
Keep DQ around
To borrow a tired analogy (sorry), Quinn’s responsible for making the meal but he didn’t buy the ingredients. Injuries are tough, but there are four Peters-era second-round draft picks who aren’t yet misses but haven’t done much.
It made sense after 2024 to let it ride and try to keep a good thing going, but that didn’t work and require more wholesale changes this offseason that may require time (and another NFL draft class) to produce dividends.
Also, Quinn hired two new coordinators this offseason. Daronte Jones was brought in to run a system not based in Quinn’s. David Blough was promoted to run a more modern, less gimmicky NFL offensive attack. That was a bold move with two young play callers and they deserve time to develop systems and add talent that fits them.
Firing Quinn likely means canning Blough and Jones and then you’re starting over again. And handing Daniels an third new offense in four NFL seasons. Not ideal for such a talent.
Stay the course, understand this 2026 offseason was the start of something new that needs time to work out.
That’s my pros and cons list. Where do you stand? What’s the right answer for the head coach position should Washington struggle somewhat in 2026? Let us know in the comments below.
