The Washington Commanders finished their preseason 1–3 with many highlights, including the team’s first-round quarterback, Jayden Daniels, getting his first NFL touchdown. It didn’t take long for Daniels to earn the starting quarterback job, beating Marcus Mariota for the top spot on the depth chart. Even though the team did see some sparks, several questions remain for the 2024 season. This is the Black & White analysis of the Commanders’ preseason with an outlook for their 2024 regular season.
The Commanders visited MetLife to take on the New York Jets in their first preseason game. The team ended up dropping their preseason opener 20–17. While Daniels only passed the ball three times, he connected with receiver Dyami Brown in the first quarter for one of the biggest plays in the game. Tied 17–17 in the fourth quarter, the Jets scored a 37-yard field goal that would win them the game. One notable rookie performance was the Commanders’ rookie tight end, Ben Sinnott. Despite Sinnot only having three catches in the game, he ended up with the most receiving yards for the Commanders recording 57 yards.
The Commanders faced the Miami Dolphins in their second preseason game, losing 13–6. Daniels threw the ball better in his second start, ending the game with two incompletions on twelve attempts for 78 yards. One of the negatives regarding the team’s loss was their cornerbacks. Second-year defensive back Emmanuel Forbes gave up a big touchdown in his first preseason game against the Jets and cornerback Benjamin St-Juste allowed a big touchdown play for the Dolphins. Another concern for the Commanders was the teams’ run defense. While they shut down the Dolphins’ primary two running backs Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane, they allowed running back Chris Brooks to average more than 10 yards a carry for 63 yards. The Commanders’ defense did end with four total sacks against the Dolphins, much better than their previous single sack against the Jets.
The Commanders won their final preseason game 20–10 against the New England Patriots. While Daniels and other starters didn’t play, the Commanders still managed to secure the victory. Quarterback Trace McSorley started the game, finishing with 165 total yards and a passing touchdown on a completion percentage of less than 60. McSorely challenged the Commanders’ defense on the ground running for a total of 40 yards with a 10-yard average per run. The Commanders defended the passing game of the Patriots’ quarterbacks well, although they did allow rookie quarterback Drake Maye to throw for 126 yards and one touchdown with a 65% completion. They played the run much better against the Patriots than they did the Dolphins not allowing a runner to run for more than 40 yards and stopping the Patriots receivers from gaining more than 34 yards.
Now that the preseason is over, Commanders fans have much to look forward to this regular season. Their new head coach, Dan Quinn, has a stellar track record from his time with the Dallas Cowboys as their defensive coordinator. During the Seattle Seahawks “Legion of Boom” era, Quinn was the team’s defensive coordinator and one of the contributors to the team’s defensive success helping them win Super Bowl XLVIII. Quinn was also the head coach for the Atlanta Falcons during their 2016-17 Super Bowl run. Joe Whitt Jr., whom Quinn is familiar with, has also joined the team staff. Whitt Jr. was the Cowboys’ defensive secondary coach the same year that Daron Bland ended the regular season with an NFL record of five defensive touchdowns. The pair shared a lot of success working together in Dallas, leading Quinn to bring Whitt Jr. to Washington.
The offensive coordinator this season is Kliff Kingsbury, who served as head coach for the Arizona Cardinals for three years until the team released him. There, he helped develop star quarterback Kyler Murry in Arizona before losing his head coaching job. Before he was the Cardinals’ head coach, Kingsbury worked as the USC Trojans offensive coordinator, where he helped the former first overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft Caleb Williams succeed at USC. Kingsbury also worked with Chiefs quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, when he was at Texas Tech. Kingsbury contributed to Mahomes becoming one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL during his time in college. All of the noted quarterbacks that Kingsbury has helped are dual-threat quarterbacks, which puts Kingsbury in a perfect position to mentor another dual-threat quarterback in Jayden Daniels. Kingsbury’s current role as offensive coordinator for the team could turn out to be the best fit for him.
The Commanders have a great roster mixed with old and young talent on both their offense and defense. The Commanders’ preseason was somewhat of a letdown, but they can still bounce back and be a competitive team in the NFL this season. The Commanders’ schedule could see them winning up to nine games in the season, or falling short and only winning five. Daniels will be one of the biggest factors for the team’s success, so if he plays well, the team could try to make a playoff run.
