Commanders' Dan Quinn faces a careful balancing act with the roster this offseason

As Dan Quinn navigates his first offseason as Washington Commanders head coach, his main focus is on balancing keeping current players and bringing in new ones. Quinn says there’s no set number of players they need to sign or keep—it’s about making the right fit.

“Yeah, I don't know if there's a specific number, but what there is, it's almost like, I'm not going to call it two free agencies, but there's the players now and that are here. And how do we work on them to get them back into it and then adding new groups into it,” Quinn said.

With free agency and the draft coming up, the team must decide who stays and who goes. Quinn stressed that improving the players already on the roster is just as important as signing new ones.

“So, how do you slice those two groups together in addition to a draft class?” said the Washington head coach.

Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn before a NFC wild card playoff against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Commanders eye stronger development

Another key focus is helping last year’s rookies make big strides in their development.

“The other part that we're leaving out is there's going to be a really big jump of development of our own rookies that were in year one. And so, as they're going through their first offseason together, these big jumps can take place for them.”

To make that happen, Quinn and his coaching staff are working closely with each player.

“We met with each of them individually and every player to have a plan to say these are the specific things that we want to do,” he said. "These plans aren’t just about physical skills—some players need to improve their knowledge of the game or recover from injuries. “And not every single one of them is a physical skill or a trait. It might be a knowledge thing, it might be an injury to come back from, whatever that looks like.”

Quinn is excited about seeing his young players grow while also adding new talent to the team. But he makes it clear that there’s no magic number of players they need to bring in. “That’s a really exciting thing too. So, I love that those guys are getting better and then we're adding to the group, but there's not a specific number that we attach. ‘Hey we need six, we need 10, we need five, it's more to fit.’”

The Commanders are focused on finding the right mix of players, making smart additions, and helping their young talent improve. As the offseason moves forward, they’ll keep working to build a strong team and build on the success of this past season.

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