Veteran Additions Key to Dan Quinn Led Washington Commanders Exceeding Expectations

Veterans like Austin Ekeler, Bobby Wagner, along with rookie Jayden Daniels are key to a Washington Commanders resurgence.

Jun 5, 2024; Ashburn, VA, USA; Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn speaks with the media prior to an OTA workout at Commanders Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

A lot of people love what the Washington Commanders are doing these days, but that love doesn’t always extend to the win-loss column.

As more ‘too early’ mock drafts, predictions, and other similar take-based articles are published it’s clear that while the Commanders are drawing a lot of praise the expectation is still that they’ll be picking fairly early in the 2025 NFL Draft, and not likely playing postseason football in 2024.

That being said, coming from four wins, the bar to consider Washington an improved squad is pretty low. Still, there’s a chance this team can surprise in a positive way this season as much as it did in the opposite direction last year.

“I personally love just about everything the Commanders did this offseason,” Bryan DeArdo wrote in CBS Sports’ latest prediction of teams that could beat expectations. “Especially the hiring of Dan Quinn as head coach, Kliff Kingsbury as offensive coordinator, the free agent signings of (running back) Austin Ekeler, (center) Tyler Biadasz and (linebacker) Bobby Wagner (among others) and the selection of rookie QB Jayden Daniels with the No. 2 overall pick. Don't sleep on D.C. in 2024.”

READ MORE: Bobby Wagner Embracing Role in Washington

Jun 5, 2024; Ashburn, VA, USA; Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn speaks with the media prior to an OTA workout at Commanders Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

“I personally love just about everything the Commanders did this offseason,”

- Bryan DeArdo, CBS Sports

Of course, the over/under win total CBS Sports is using to project these takes is set to 6.5 for the Commanders, meaning DeArdo could be predicting as few as seven wins and still be in the right, here. 

The words he’s using here don’t sound like seven, however, more like 10…or maybe somewhere between.

Either way, there are those in the Washington fanbase who would still be disappointed in a sub-10-win season. But when they pause to think about this team having close to $100 million in cap space next season right now and all of its draft capital intact, the excitement that should come from taking even a seven-win team into that sort of offseason situation would be exciting all over again.

In the underperforming projection portion of the same article the Chicago Bears - led by No. 1 overall pick quarterback Caleb Wiliams - are predicted to land there by two writers as their win-loss projection sits at nine.

If that happens there’s a good chance the Bears will be doing what the Commanders did this offseason, when it welcomed a new head coach into the building.

---

READ MORE: Ekeler Discusses 'Misalignment' With Chargers

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

More Washington Commanders News

• Tiki Barber Out of Pocket Talking About Austin Ekeler

• Longhorns Lineman Projected to Washington in 2025

• Is Cowboys Defense 'More Disciplined' Without Quinn?

• Austin Ekeler 'Match Made in Heaven' with Washington

• Commanders Coach Quinn 'Excited for Second Chance'