Commanders’ veterans leading the charge with a championship mindset
ASHBURN (DC News Now) – When head coach Dan Quinn began to construct this roster, he placed a big emphasis on bringing guys who were leaders. Those additions, along with the returners on the team have resulted in a large presence of veteran leadership on this year’s Washington Commanders squad, and they’re all determined to help set the tone and become a winning franchise.
It all starts at the top for coach Quinn, “the very best teams I’ve been a part of, were really strong in the locker room first,” said Quinn, “and those standards that they create together, to me, that’s where, like the gold is.”
During free agency, Quinn searched for the best available vets that would help him set a new, winning culture in Washington. In his search, he found one of his former players during his time in Seattle, nine-time pro-bowler Bobby Wagner.
Wagner comes to Washington ready to help lead the charge.
“There is a lot of things that you can’t learn from you like youth, you can learn from experience. So people that can, you know, get that knowledge and give that insight. I think that’s probably the biggest thing,” said Wagner.
Meanwhile, the veteran returners on the team like Jon Allen couldn’t be more excited to welcome leaders like Wagner and push the defense towards the right direction.
“We’re all chasing after the same goal and we’re all pushing each other to get there,” Allen smiled ear to ear and truly meant it when he said, “It’s really been exciting being here.”
Additionally, for these vets, it’s all hands on deck and developing their second overall pick QB, Jayden Daniels. Quarterback Marcus Mariota enters year ten in the NFL and has seen just about everything.
Mariota said that even before joining the Commanders, he learned long ago to leave his ego at the door, because a QB room that works well together, grows together.
“I mean, we’ve got to continue to help him (Daniels) grow and develop,” said Mariota. “I think at the end of the day when we’re all competing in that room, it makes every one of us better.”
However, it’s not just Mariota and the guys on offense looking forward to helping Daniels become comfortable and succeed in Washington, this is a team-wide initiative.
“He got all the attributes and everything,” says defensive end Clelin Ferrell, “I think he just needs somebody like the vets to get behind him and really tell him man like, regardless of what you doing and who you is, and what you’re doing out there, like we got your back.”
The Commanders will continue with OTAs this spring and then break in the summer before they begin training camp this fall.
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