ASHBURN, Va. — Dan Quinn has spent the offseason turning ordinary team settings into pressure-filled challenges as part of an effort to restore an edge he believes the Washington Commanders lost in 2025. On a spring morning before a meeting, long-snapper Tyler Ott was summoned to the front of the auditorium for an impromptu spelling bee against coaching analyst Travis Ho, drawing tense silence and bursts of applause from teammates.
The spelling-bee scene illustrated the broader approach Quinn is trying to cultivate heading into his third season as coach: more competition, heightened attention to detail and a sharper daily environment. Quinn moved on from both coordinators in January, citing a lack of production on defense and a need for a change in offensive philosophy, and the roster was overhauled in the offseason to inject youth and athleticism.
Washington added edge rusher Odafe Oweh and rookie Sonny Styles and signed receiver Stefon Diggs to pair with Terry McLaurin, moves the team described as upgrades at positions of need and a response to an offseason that followed a 5-12 campaign and a surprising run to the NFC championship the previous year. Quinn has also emphasized in-house competition in nontraditional ways: basketball shooting contests between players and coaches, table tennis matches, friendship quizzes, song-lyrics face-offs and team trivia using Kahoot! to test knowledge of offensive and defensive systems.
Despite those changes, external assessments remain skeptical. ESPN analyst Mike Clay projected the Commanders to win 6.4 games and finish last in the NFC East, and the team lost All-Pro left tackle Laremy Tunsil to a torn pectoral injury Saturday. Quinn pushed back against the notion that he feels pressured, saying, “I don’t feel under pressure. I don’t think in that kind of way.” One acquaintance said Quinn appeared invigorated by last season’s downturn, and sources with knowledge of his situation said he has not held conversations about his job with owner Josh Harris heading into the season.
Back in the auditorium, Ott misspelled “etcetera” and “miscellaneous” and lost the spelling bee by one letter. Ott, an economics major, shrugged at the memory. Regardless of the winner, each offseason competition was intended to produce the same outcome: a roster that operates with greater focus and urgency.
