Commanders coach Dan Quinn failed on 'tell the truth Monday'

5 days ago 2

Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn loves his slogans. Whether it's "tell the truth Monday," or discussing a player's "superpower," or "winning time moments," there are several, and they are endless. Quinn also loves to talk about "brotherhood."

On Monday, Quinn and general manager Adam Peters met with the media to discuss the Commanders' disappointing 5-12 season. The duo appeared uncomfortable at times, but while they didn't reveal any major offseason plans, they did acknowledge there is much work to do. Peters was much more open than he usually is, specifically regarding Terry McLaurin's negotiations last summer and the upcoming Laremy Tunsil extension.

But, on "tell the truth Monday," Quinn failed when it came to offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.

In 2024, the Commanders were the toast of the town. Led by a franchise savior at quarterback, Kingsbury and Jayden Daniels were the envy of the NFL. The duo, with help from others, covered many of Washington's flaws, you know, a bad defense.

Unfortunately, in 2025, Daniels and Kingsbury didn't meet the same standard. Much of that can be blamed on injuries: Daniels missed 10 games with three separate injuries and failed to finish all but three of the games he played. For Kingsbury, he lost his quarterback, wide receiver Terry McLaurin, for half of the season, and all of his primary receivers outside of Deebo Samuel for different lengths of time. Tight end Zach Ertz was lost late in the season with a severe knee injury, while running back Austin Ekeler was lost for the year in Week 2. For Kingsbury, he didn't often know who he'd have on gameday.

The Commanders often had to elevate recently signed players from the practice squad just to line up at receiver. The prime example of this was the Week 9 blowout loss to Seattle.

Through it all, Kingsbury did his best to keep Washington competitive on offense. There were highs and extreme lows, such as the shutout loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 14. Considering everything Kingsbury dealt with, he did a commendable job.

Could Quinn say the same thing about his defense?

When asked to evaluate Kingsbury on Monday, neither Quinn nor Peters praised him or acknowledged the challenges he faced.

"We're going through all of all the coaches," Quinn said. "Kliff, offensively, defensively, on the [special] teams side. And so, that's really what we're digging into to find what's best, how do we do it, you know, where do we find spaces to improve? And you know, for Kliff, for [defensive coordinator] Joe [Whitt Jr.], for [special teams coordinator] Larry [Izzo], for all of us. Like that's our main focus, so we're never in this space again, and that's what we want to dig in hard on."

So, the coach who was the best on your staff last year and helped lead you to 12 wins, you couldn't even publicly show him support? So much for brotherhood.

What about how woeful your defense was, led by your buddy [Whitt] and later by you? Hey, it was Monday, so shouldn't Quinn be "telling the truth?"

Peters said nothing when it came to Kingsbury. Peters is the one who opened the season with Noah Brown as Washington's No. 2 receiver. Nothing against Noah Brown, but that was never going to end well. Was Peters going to "tell the truth?"

Washington fans, as a whole, were not happy when Peters hired Quinn. Many viewed him as a Ron Rivera clone—a former fired NFC South, defensive-first coach. Last year gave them hope; this year, a dose of reality. As Bill Parcells famously once said, "You are what your record says you are." Washington's record was 5-12.

Kingsbury is not perfect. It's perfectly fine not to like his offensive scheme, which seems rigid at times, especially with certain elements such as moving his No. 1 receiver around the formation, shotgun usage and pre-snap motion. But without Kingsbury, Quinn doesn't go 12-5 in 2024.

Meanwhile, Washington's defensive scheme looks outdated. It was comical how opposing quarterbacks would have career games against the Commanders. Even bad quarterbacks used Washington's defense to "get right." And what about Quinn's inability to defend any offense from the Shanahan coaching tree? Look up Quinn's defenses against these offenses over the years. It's not pretty. It continued in 2025.

Heck, Washington's defense made struggling quarterbacks like Geno Smith, J.J. McCarthy and Michael Penix look like world beaters.

Did Quinn "tell the truth" about his defense?

The bloom is off the rose for Quinn and Peters. Fans are less frustrated with Peters than they are with Quinn. Enough with the catchphrases: just play better football.

This is shaping up to be a very pivotal offseason for the Washington Commanders.

This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Dan Quinn failed on 'tell the truth Monday'

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