If there is going to be progress, it must be the result of some changes.
Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn announced a change on Monday during his press conference. He said he is changing a process he has maintained for his first two seasons as the Commanders head coach. Quinn said he won’t name captains for each week’s games this 2026 season, as he did in his first two seasons.
Quinn told the media he has already determined his captains for 2026 will represent the offense, defense, and special teams. Veteran wide receiver Terry McLaurin and third-year quarterback Jayden Daniels will represent the offense as captains. The defensive unit representatives will be veteran linebacker Frankie Luvu, in his third season with Washington, and long-time
special teams ace and now-starting safety Jeremy Reaves. The player with the most time in Washington is punter Tress Way, and Quinn said Way will represent the special teams unit as captain.
As stated earlier, this is a change for Quinn. During the 2024 and 2025 seasons, Quinn typically met with the media on Fridays, provided injury updates on who was going to play and who was not, and announced an offensive, defensive, and special teams captain for that week’s game.
Quinn said the team voted to name these season-long captains. He also said one additional captain will be named on Friday for each game. A benefit of a weekly captain is that it rewards players each week who show productive play and leadership.
Additionally, Quinn’s change reflects a desire to reward players already seen as vocal, focused team leaders. Having players vote for them tells players, ‘you vote for the guys you feel like are the best leaders and the guys you are willing to follow.’ This method brings more accountability because players vote for their leaders and therefore are expected to follow their lead.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Commanders make a big change for 2026 season
