Washington Commanders Coach Dan Quinn Making 'No Great Declaration' About Starting QB

The Washington Commanders have made it known that they aren't going to name starters. The message this entire offseason from head coach Dan Quinn to defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. has been getting guys as many valuable reps as possible, and that they have a multitude of guys who will be used depending on certain situations.

Knowing who is starting and who isn't this early in the offseason has pros and cons. Being an established starter would likely give you more time to work with the other players that you will be most involved with come game time, but also giving everyone an equal share of reps can be invaluable to a team if something were to happen when it becomes the next man up.

When speaking with the media following the team's final minicamp practice on Thursday, head coach Dan Quinn stuck to his guns when posed with whether or not rookie QB Jayden Daniels is the starter based on him getting a lot of first-team reps over the week.

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels. — Jun 5, 2024; Ashburn, VA, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) passes a ball during an OTA workout at Commanders Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports | Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

"There's no doubt that Jayden's making unbelievable progress here and we'll have a really fun camp, but he's earned that opportunity to go compete."
Dan Quinn, Commanders Head Coach

“Well, in true competition, that's why we set it up as we did to have [QB] Marcus [Mariota] have some and Jayden to have some. So, no great declarations other than like being true to who we are as competitors," Quinn responded. "There's no doubt that Jayden's making unbelievable progress here and we'll have a really fun camp, but he's earned that opportunity to go compete. We wouldn't have given him those spaces and those times and those reps if he hadn't. But it was really clear that he's put in the work and he was ready to do that. So, it was by intention for sure that he was able to do that.”

"No great declarations" is pretty telling. The Commanders aren't in any rush to set a starter at the QB position until they see where the guys stand come training camp and the preseason, but even then we still might not have a definitive answer until right before their week one matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

For now, we will keep a close eye on the performances of both quarterbacks to see if we can gauge which direction the coaching staff will be leaning. Both quarterbacks possess their unique style of play along with intangibles, so whoever performs best within Kliff Kingsbury's offense will likely get the nod rather than rushing to a decision that could be costly later down the road.

Stick with CommanderGameday and the Locked On Commanders podcast for more coverage of the Washington Commanders throughout the 2024 season.

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