The Washington Commanders are 0-2 after their 37-20 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. After their NFC title game appearance in 2025, things have been downhill for Commanders head coach Dan Quinn, and Jayden Daniels has dealt with injuries over the last two seasons.
As the team regresses, CBS Sports NFL analyst Damien Harris believes it’s time for Washington to cut ties with Quinn after losses to the Philadelphia Eagles and Cowboys. Nonetheless, the more important aspect is how Quinn has handled Daniels in certain situations, which has led to injuries.
“Dan Quinn needs to be gone,” Harris said during a Sept. 20 appearance on “CBS Sports HQ.” “It’s time to fire him, and why is that? Because we can look at what he did in his first season in Washington and say, okay, they made it to the conference championship, they went 12-5. What happened the next year?
“He left Jayden Daniels in a game that he definitely should not have been in. He got injured. We saw the first gruesome elbow injury. What happened? It tanked the rest of their season. Now, fast-forward to this year. What happens? The same exact thing.”
Moreover, at 0-2, the odds aren’t in their favor to reach the postseason, which could be another reason that it’s time to make a change in Washington.
Dan Quinn’s Football IQ Questioned After Jayden Daniels’ Injury
Harris didn’t stop there when it came to going after Quinn’s job because the Commanders need a coach who can protect Daniels as the franchise QB, and the team has shown they can’t win when their star player is out of the lineup.
“You need to have more football IQ,” Harris added. “Take the points, get your offense into halftime and say, let’s make some adjustments. But instead, you go for it, you get no points, and guess what? You get your star quarterback hurt again. He’s probably going to miss some time, and your season is going to go just like this again.
“… You make a bad decision two years in a row, resulting in your quarterback getting hurt, and now he’s going to miss some significant time, and your season is just hanging in the balance because of those decisions.”
Marcus Mariota Isn’t Saving the Commanders’ Season
Mariota has been with the Commanders since the 2024 season and has a passer rating of 94.3 with 2,170 yards, 15 touchdowns, and seven interceptions in 15 games, per StatMuse. As a result, Harris says he doesn’t expect Washington to turn things around if Daniels misses time and the team counts on Mariota to steady the ship.
“We already saw last year the Commanders cannot win with Marcus Mariota,” Harris said. “I love Marcus Mariota. He’s done a lot of great things, but he is not the face of this franchise. They cannot win with him. Now, not to say Jayden Daniels was torching and lighting it up, but he’s still your best chance to win.”
It appears that the Commanders are heading toward another challenging season, and barring a significant turnaround, calls for Quinn’s job could start to get louder.
Commanders Loss to Cowboys Sparks Blunt Dan Quinn Verdict