The thing about missing your best wide receiver is, everyone notices. The quarterback notices when no one’s open. And the coaches notice when drives stall. For the Washington Commanders, the contractual standoff with Terry McLaurin has left Dan Quinn searching for a go-to guy. The problem? No one’s stepped into that role. The extra snaps are there. The opportunities are there. But the separation from defenders isn’t. “We have really high standards…when it’s sloppy and not to the standards, that burns my a–,” Quinn said after the loss. Even with the preseason’s lower stakes, the wide receiver group looked more like placeholders than playmakers. And Aug. 8 in Foxborough was the latest reminder.
In their preseason opener, a 48-18 loss to the New England Patriots, Washington’s wideouts stumbled from the start. Chris Moore dropped the first pass thrown his way. Luke McCaffrey caught a ball. But the Pats D immediately dropped him for a one-yard loss. Jaylin Lane flashed in spots, but no one consistently shook free from coverage. With McLaurin, Deebo Samuel, and Noah Brown all sidelined, this was supposed to be a chance for the next man up to seize the moment. Instead, it felt like the moment seized them.
Head coach Dan Quinn knows the evaluation process isn’t always pretty, but this wasn’t the kind of struggle he wanted to see. “We’re still digging in to go and find out who can emerge, what it looks like, what the roles are,” Quinn said. “I’ve seen some good things from Jaylin [Lane]. Chris Moore in the practice parts I’ve seen some. We’ve still got work to do to figure that part out.” Translation? The depth chart after McLaurin still looks like a puzzle, missing too many pieces.
Credits- Photos by Emilee Fails and Kourtney Carroll/Washington Commanders
And the irony? This isn’t even about a lack of talent – it’s about proving you can win your matchup. Wednesday’s (Aug. 6) joint practice with New England saw the same problem. Receivers rarely broke free, and Friday (Aug. 8) was déjà vu in live action. For all the “silver linings” Quinn tries to pull from “uncomfortable” moments, the fact remains: the Commanders’ passing game is one hamstring tweak away from being toothless. And if you thought the passing game was the night’s only disaster, Quinn was quick to remind everyone otherwise.
Dan Quinn torches sloppy play after Patriots’ embarrassment
Dan Quinn in the postgame press conference didn’t yell, but he didn’t sugarcoat either. “All three phases I thought it was sloppy tonight,” he said. “We had [13] penalties. … They stacked and that showed sloppiness to me — and the practice was just the opposite. You know how I feel about penalties, so that did not make me happy.” Thirteen penalties. Two long kickoff returns allowed. A mess in every area, he preaches discipline. For a coach who loathes flags and prides himself on special teams, this was gasoline on the fire.
Quinn made it clear that missing starters wasn’t an excuse. Even in preseason, when results don’t count in the standings, style and execution still matter to him. And this game? It had neither. He summed it up bluntly: if they’d fought hard and lost, he could live with it. But sloppy, penalty-heavy football with little attitude? Unacceptable. “If you get your ass kicked and we’re in the fight the whole time, I can live with that,” Quinn said.
For now, the Commanders have two more preseason games to clean it up, settle the McLaurin situation, and prove this was just a bad first impression. But if they keep struggling to find answers at receiver and keep handing away yards in penalties, Quinn won’t just be lashing out in August – he’ll be doing it when the games actually count. The message is clear – McLaurin’s absence might be a roster issue, but discipline is a team issue. And both need fixing before Sept. 7.
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