Why Dan Quinn Made Washington's Training Camp Harder in 2026 — Commanders Daily

Washington packed nearly two additional practices’ worth of work into training camp as Dan Quinn increased reps, competition and stressful situations to prepare the Commanders for the regular season.

Aug 28, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn speaks with the defense during the second half against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Dan Quinn says the Washington Commanders just finished the toughest training camp of his career. Here is why the extra reps and mental stress were intentional. | Philip Hughes | HTTR4LIFE LLC

Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn is fresh off what he calls the toughest training camp of his career and says the increased difficulty of camp was not by accident. The goal was to build on what Washington did over the previous two years under Quinn by designing camp in a way that created more practice opportunities; the result: Quinn says the team came close to getting two additional practices’ worth of work in the same number of camp days compared with previous years. The idea was to introduce the players to more stressful situations by increasing the number of decisions they had to make and circumstances they had to work through before the regular season, not just by upping the amount of physical activity.

Dan Quinn ran the toughest training camp of his career. His biggest surprise? The readiness of his players and Jayden Daniels leveling up. pic.twitter.com/hfA2a6m7bL

— Marshall Kramsky (@marshallkramsky) September 9, 2026

Quinn was recently asked how this past camp differed from the previous two years; he sounded very impressed by the team's response. "Going into it, I knew I wanted to really push more reps, more minutes, more times in the practice, and we were able to do that, almost probably close to two practices in the same amount of days. So that would equal more reps. That would equal more opportunities. And then I really wanted to put the team in some stressful spots for game management and otherwise," Quinn said. "So, seeing that, and then having the receiver group in some deep positions really take the battle all the way through the end of the practices, that was a big deal. I like the conditioning. I like the hardness of the team. I know there's some collateral damage when you have the injuries. You don't want those ever with the soft tissue injuries during camp, but having the team trending in the right direction now, I think that does pay dividends. So, I’m excited for where we’re at as far as a new system goes. We did that two years ago, but this team has really put in some good work on it, so I like where we’re at."

Since this offseason program focused on installing new systems on both sides of the ball, the increased camp workload allowed the staff to gather a larger sample of information before building their weekly game plans. The extra reps gave players more opportunities to run through scenarios and work on communication and execution.

Aug 22, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn watches the action from the sidelines in the second quarter against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Increasing competition was a major part of Quinn's overall plan to make camp more difficult. More reps meant additional evaluation opportunities instead of relying on a limited number of preseason snaps in isolated situations. The stress he created through tougher practices was both competitive and physical. Quinn seemed focused on how the increase in competition was especially evident in the receiver room, as Washington carried that room and several other competitions deep into camp.

He was trying to mold the team into one capable of maintaining execution through accumulated workload and stressful situations. While the increased workload did have a downside with soft-tissue injuries and other "collateral damage" from camp, Quinn accepted some risk and specifically praised the team's conditioning and "hardness." By the end of camp, with the roster trending in a healthier direction, Quinn believes that the hard work will pay dividends during the season.

Adding more practice time to install and stress-test the new systems sounds like a great idea; of course, Week 1 will be the first real test of whether that preparation pays off. Quinn believes Washington enters the season conditioned, experienced in the new systems, and accustomed to handling difficult practice situations.

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