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‘Only One Direction’ for Commanders in Washington as Training Camp Approaches

The year was 2005 and the team name “Washington Commanders” had not even entered the picture for the NFL franchise that calls the nation’s capital its home city.

Jayden Daniels had just turned 5 the month before, and it would be nearly 20 years before he became the Commanders’ first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

The head coach was legendary Washington player Joe Gibbs, who became the franchise’s manager for the second time. His team defeated Jon Gruden’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers 17-10 in the 2004-05 Wild Card round.

That’s the last time this franchise has won a postseason game. It’s been nearly 20 years, five head coaches have come and gone between Gibbs and Dan Quinn, who will kick off his first Commanders training camp this week hoping to end that streak.

READ MORE: Commanders’ QB Jayden Daniels Will Be ‘Starter Sooner Rather Than Later’

Washington Commanders coach Dan Quinn with managing partner Josh Harris.

Feb 5, 2024; Ashburn, VA, USA; Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn (L) poses for a photo with Commanders managing partner Josh Harris (R) during Quinn’s introductory press conference at Commanders Park. Mandatory credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

“There is clear reason for optimism and the Commanders have only one direction to go after zero playoff wins in the last 18 seasons.”

– Eric Edholm, NFL.com

“There’s new blood everywhere, from the front office to the coaching staff to the bottom of the roster. New GM Adam Peters has earned praise for adding a slew of competitive veterans and rookies to brighten a roster that had aged. Dan Quinn has a long history of making an immediate impact upon arrival at new teams, helping turn the Seahawks into a Super Bowl-winning defense, elevating the Falcons as a head coach and revitalizing the Cowboys’ defense when he headed to Dallas in 2021,” NFL.com’s Eric Edholm wrote in his preview of Washington’s pivotal training camp. “There’s clear reason for optimism, and the Commanders have only one direction to go after zero playoff wins over the past 18 seasons.”

It’s not like other head coaches haven’t led the Commanders – then known by different names – to the playoffs.

Jim Zorn is the only coach to lead the team for an entire season or longer without making the playoffs.

Mike Shanahan and Ron Rivera both appeared in the playoffs and both lost. Bill Callahan got 11 games at the end of the 2019 season, but the 0-5 start that led to Jay Gruden’s firing pretty much killed any chance he had of pulling off a playoff miracle.

Even Gruden made a postseason appearance with Washington, losing his Wild Card game to the Green Bay Packers. That staff included current Commanders defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr., then a secondary and cornerbacks coach.

Of course, he knew then that he had the makings of a defensive coordinator, and that he just needed the right opportunity. He now has it with the Commanders, as Coach Quinn gets his second chance to lead an NFL squad to glory.

And in many ways, there is no way but up. The question that needs to be answered from training camp is how high can they go and how quickly will they get there.

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