Dan Quinn joining the Washington Commanders made a lot of noise recently. Mostly because he’s been checking all the boxes with Jayden Daniels’ progress. More so, players like Austin Ekeler, Terry McLaurin, and Christian McCaffrey’s brother Luke are expected to provide more depth to their offense. But what about the defense? It’s something that Dan Quinn specializes in, right?

There’s one thing to note here: Dan Quinn is famous for his Atlanta tenure, where he appeared in the Super Bowl. But more than that, DQ was responsible for the Cowboys’ unshakable defense. So, he’s got both of those boxes ticked out. But can he do the same with the Commanders?

The hosts of Washington Commanders’ Deep Dive podcast did an hour-long podcast on Dan Quinn’s defensive genius. It’s an information overload, to be honest. But there’s something that sticks out during the whole discussion. The former Commanders’ CB Fred Smoot thinks Quinn’s defense is faster than Jayden Daniels’ offense. But how could that be?

“Defense goes faster than any other side of the ball. I expect them to hit the ground rolling. They got three interiors, the two guys we have plus drafted one. We bought in edge rushers. Right now, people, our linebackers is a top-five group and the only people that can benefit that is them defensive backs. I expect them to start a lot faster than the offense,” said Smoot about his expectations from the defense.

A quick look at the Commanders’ depth chart would say that the defensive side of the team is quite superb. At least on paper, it feels like it. The DT Jonathan Allen who’s a sack machine, then we have Daron Payne stepping into his 7 season in the league. Can we forget about Bobby Wagner (LB), who’s into his 13 season this year and had a 96-tackle season last year?

There’s a lot to go on about because the young CBs like Emmanuel Forbes Jr. and Benjamin St. Juste have been showcasing their talent too. Ex-Cowboy Dorance Armstrong is stepping into his 7 season and is playing for the Cowboys this year. It’s safe to say that their experience is loaded with veterans who know how to handle business. The rookie safety Dominique Hampton will also be joining in this year along with Jeremy Chinn.

It’s also important to address the role that Adam Peters has played in hiring the rookies this year. The only problem that’s irking the fans is how the Commanders failed to address the O-Line concerns again. Maybe’ we’ll see how that plays out this year. But there’s another interesting thing in the podcast that prompted us to take a step back in time.

The title of this podcast said, “Dan Quinn Defense From The Legion of Boom to DC.” The pros on the podcast believe that he can do it again.

Dan Quinn: A super credible coach

He’s been the defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks during their Super Bowl run and the Legion of Boom era. Bobby Wagner, who was a part of that legendary defense, has now reunited with Quinn again. Who’s to say they can’t repeat history? This will take some time because there’s a lot of trial and error to go through.

That’s because all the names listed above had a challenging season under Eric Bieniemy. Even Pro Bowl tackles like Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne had a hard time keeping up under the defensive schemes. This is where Dan Quinn’s genius steps in. Players can watch all the tapes they want, they can learn everything in theory, and they can become stronger, faster, and harder. But without someone to show them the ropes, their efforts might go in vain.

A column from Bryan Manning of Commanders Wire, USA Today sums it up with perfection. Dan Quinn joined the Cowboys struggling with their defense and in just two years got them standing in the top 5 of NFL defenses. Quinn has a very hands-on yet aggressive approach to his defense, where he focuses most on sacks and takeaways. He’ll find ways to make it work.

Check out this table by Warren Sharpe on X about Quinn’s time in Dallas in parallel to the struggling Washington team. It will be enough to show you what Dan Quinn is actually bringing to the table.

Without diving into nerdy stuff like routes and playbooks, the results are pretty clear that Dan Quinn is excellent when it comes to his job. As said before, reaching this point takes a lot of trial and error. But three years is still enough time for DQ to figure out how to change this completely new Washington Commanders.