Dan Quinn remolding Commanders with confidence: 'Let it rip'

INDIANAPOLIS — He has literally counted the days.

Dan Quinn took the podium Tuesday afternoon at the NFL Combine to talk about his future as the Commanders' new head coach, but he also talked about how long he spent preparing for this second chance, casually mentioning that it's been exactly 1,234 days since the Falcons fired him.

That was five games into the 2020 season, and the Falcons were 0-5, four years removed from a Super Bowl appearance. He finished 43-42 in Atlanta and spent the past three years as the Cowboys' defensive coordinator, working his way back to the pinnacle of coaching.

"There has been plenty of opportunity to make sure I thought a lot about this," said Quinn, 53, the last hire of a busy NFL coaching cycle. "From a staff standpoint, from the processes that need to go in place, the personnel, the scouting, my involvement with them. More so now than ever, I've had a chance to reflect and do that. Every once in a while, you're at the right place at the right time, in your life and in your career, and I certainly feel like that's this place, right now, for me."

Quinn takes over a Washington franchise that hasn't finished above .500 since 2016 — two team names ago — and hasn't won a playoff game since the 2005 season, with four appearances and four losses since. There is new ownership in place, a new general manager in Adam Peters, and Quinn has put together a strong staff, bringing Joe Whitt from the Cowboys as defensive coordinator and hiring Kliff Kingsbury as offensive coordinator.

Not every NFL head coach is in Indianapolis this week, but Quinn wouldn't have it any other way. He said all the on-field drills and measurements are important, but not nearly as much as the interviews and the chance to learn more about prospects as people.

"One of the things that I do enjoy about this time is the interview portion," Quinn said. "You're really trying to get into not the ballplayer, but the man, find out what they are, what they stand for. We're looking for that kind of competitor, that kind of toughness. You ask some leading questions to find those answers. I enjoy that part as much as any."

Washington has the No. 2 pick in this year's draft, and a glaring need at quarterback, needing to upgrade after getting 21 touchdowns and a league-high 21 interceptions from Sam Howell last year. Chicago has the No. 1 pick and is widely expected to take USC's Caleb Williams, which could set up Washington to take North Carolina's Drake Maye.

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A year ago, the team picking second got the better quarterback, with Houston's C.J. Stroud dominating as a rookie in leading the Texans to a division title and a playoff win. Bryce Young, picked first by Carolina, struggled in a 2-15 season by comparison.

Quinn said the traits he values most in a quarterback are mental and physical toughness — being able to process defenses while they're flying at you, being tough enough to take hits as you make big throws. He also values accuracy on downfield passing, knowing how important it is to make the most of those game-changing chances when the OC calls them.

Quinn has limited experience with young quarterbacks. He had a veteran in Matt Ryan for all six of his seasons in Atlanta, and he had Dak Prescott the past three years in Dallas. But in addition to the No. 2 pick, the Commanders have $82 million in salary-cap space, the most of any NFL team, allowing them to be aggressive in free agency next month.

He knows how far the Commanders must go to be competitive again — after a 2-0 start last season, they finished 4-13, and their two losses to Dallas were by scores of 45-10 and 38-10. Getting back to being a head coach was something Quinn was patient with, waiting through three years in Dallas, all with top-10 defenses, before choosing Washington.

"I wasn't going to rush into something you couldn't absolutely kick ass and go for it at the highest level," he said. "That's the only way I want to go after it. It took a while to get to that space. Like most things that are really important, it took me time to do that."

The NFC East will be a tough division. The Eagles were in the Super Bowl 13 months ago and opened 10-1 last season before stumbling to lose six of their last seven. The Cowboys finished 12-5 and won the division, only to exit in the first round of the playoffs, losing at home to the Packers, with Quinn's defense giving up 48 points. The Giants took a step back from a playoff appearance in 2022, but they still managed to sweep Washington in a 6-11 season.

Where will the Commanders fit into that with a rookie quarterback in 2024? Quinn isn't putting a limit on any aspect of his new job, from hiring a staff to building his first roster in Washington.

"We want to absolutely go for it in every single way," he said. "It was that way with the staff, as we tried to nail each and every position, and it's the same way here from the combine and into free agency and the draft. We want to absolutely let it rip."

Greg Auman is FOX Sports' NFC South reporter, covering the Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers and Saints. He is in his 10th season covering the Bucs and the NFL full-time, having spent time at the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.