The Washington Commanders hired Dan Quinn as head coach thanks to his astute defensive mind. That’s why it should come as no surprise when we find out he’s prepared his team for every possible scenario — even ones that seem pretty wild on the surface.
Quinn addressed the possibility of facing not 1 but 2 different quarterbacks for the New York Giants ahead of their season opener on Sunday, September 7, in Landover, Maryland.
The Giants will start veteran Russell Wilson against the Commanders but rookie quarterback and 2025 first round pick (No. 25 overall) Jaxson Dart has been one of the buzziest names after flashing during preseason games.
You have to go in that way, assuming the (Giants) will use different guys (at quarterback),” Quinn told ESPN as he walked into Northwest Stadium. “We’ll have a few things that will surprise them as well.”
The Commanders are considered legitimate Super Bowl contenders and coming off their best season since 1991, finishing with a 12-5 record and advancing to the NFC Championship Game.
The Giants went 3-14 in 2024 and have had losing records in 7 of the last 8 seasons.
Dart Went From SEC To Possible NFC East Savior
Dart, 6-foot-2 and 223 pounds, started his college career at USC before he transferred to Ole Miss, where he was a 3-year starter from 2022 to 2024.
The Rebels had a winning record all 3 seasons with Darts, going 11-2 in 2023 and 10-3 in 2024. Dart earned All-SEC honors in his final season after throwing for 4,279 yards, 29 touchdowns and 6 interceptions to go with 495 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns.
The projections on what kind of NFL quarterback Dart might be are wildly varied — NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein had him projected as a second round pick with a comparison to longtime backup quarterback Gardner Minshew.
“Dart can make full-field reads but looks more comfortable grazing from the trough of the simple,” Zierlein wrote in his pre-draft evaluation. “He will need to work with better anticipation and decisiveness to win in tight windows as a pro. Teams might see physical and play similarities between Dart and Brock Purdy but such a pathway for Dart likely requires a balanced, ball-control passing attack that allows him to manage the game instead of driving it.
Commanders Have NFL’s Best Young Quarterback
There might be some extra motivation in the opener for Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels after he already led the Commanders to a pair of wins over the Giants last season.
That’s because the Giants decided it was a good idea to make fun of Daniels’ mother, certified NFLPA agent Regina Jackson, in the video they put out to announced their season schedule.
In the Giants’ announcement of their schedule, they used different stereotypes of every franchise on their schedule to announce who they’re playing.
For the Commanders, it’s a guy dressed in their team colors — “Robert” — who seems uncertain of what he actually wants people to call him. “You can call me Bob, Robert, Bobby, it’s OK,” the character says, attempting to make a joke on the fact the Commanders are on their third team name in the last decade.
The “Robert” character returns for the video’s stinger, where he looks into the camera and goes “Yeah, don’t tell my mom I’m here, OK?”
Daniels and Jackson have a famously close mother-son relationship.
Commanders Head Coach Sends Clear Message On Facing $17 Million Rookie QB