Dan Quinn gets real about second half of season for Commanders

This year, the Washington Commanders hoped to build on last season’s success, but a wave of injuries and constant roster changes has made it difficult for the team to find its rhythm and get the ball rolling.

Despite those setbacks, the Commanders have remained steadfast, taking everything that comes their way with their chins high. Their resilience, according to head coach Dan Quinn, comes down to their mindset.

The Power of Little Things

“When you’re going through hard things to say, alright, how’s this mindset going to be?”, Quinn said when asked what it means to be a Commander. “When I was kind of referring to the little things, you want to heighten them and it’s not a matter of letting them slip, it’s a matter of extra attention that it goes.”

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

According to Quinn, the attention to detail applies to every situation, no matter how small. “That's a big piece of this to make sure whether that's a fourth down, a two-minute, an end of the game, those ones to where it goes from focus to the hyperfocus and you gotta practice it,” he said.

More Bodies, More Battles, More Growth

That mindset becomes even more important during a tough season like this, when adversity reveals more about the team than success does. Quinn also emphasized the value of more players returning to practice and the competitive energy it brings.

“I like the competition at practice,” Quinn said. “So having more guys back into the practice that's a big deal for me because now that's more competition, more spaces to go do that. And so, that's a big deal.”

With more healthy bodies, there are more chances to push each other, and for Quinn, that’s where you find out who is truly built for moments like this. “As much gets revealed in the difficult times, and you want to watch, you want to see how certain people are reacting and knowing, okay, there's a person that's down for it. When the chips are down and they're absolutely going for it, you do learn a lot.”

What Tough Times Expose

It's not always easy, but it's necessary at times.

“It sucks to go through it. There's no if’s, and’s, or but’s about it,” he said. “But what I've said earlier, you show me a strong confident team and there's an excellent chance they went through something challenging, something tough along the way.”

The Standard

This season, adversity has been synonymous with the Commanders. But, for Quinn, the standard doesn’t change because the road gets harder.

“I want that warrior mindset looking for the competition at every space and knowing that somebody's ready to get down every time we go.”

Stick with CommanderGameday and the Locked On Commanders podcast for more FREE coverage of the Washington Commanders throughout the 2025 season.

More Washington Commanders News

• Commanders' season has hit a new low in latest PFF rankings

• What's next for Commanders as bye week approaches?

• 3 bold predictions for rest of Commanders' season

• Commanders made a handful of roster moves during the bye week