'Absolute Dog!' Commanders' Dan Quinn Loves Daron Payne

The Washington Commanders hired coach Dan Quinn because he’s the right man for the job. He’s smart enough to let someone else worry about the offense while he tries to rebuild the worst defense in the league.

The Commanders went out and added quality players to this defense.  Coach Quinn, however, is impressed with long-time Commander Daron Payne.

“It was easy to see this guy’s an absolute dog as a player,” Quinn said. “That was like we’ve known that for a while. I guess what was more impressive to see was he had more pass-rush skills than I thought.

“You see him how square and strong he is. You know he’s a good run defender, but seeing his quickness for that size, it was rare.”

The former No. 13 overall pick had a bit of a down year by his standards posting 53 tackles, four sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. In 2022, Payne tallied 11.5 sacks, a number the Commanders would love to see again this year.

Related: Commanders Coach Dan Quinn Praised By Jets Coach Robert Saleh

Payne is excited about the new scheme brought to Washington from Quinn and coordinator Joe Whitt Jr.

“We are really working on just flying around and getting to the ball, hunting. That’s the main emphasis right now, just you want everybody hunting,” Payne said. “Coach Quinn is just letting us be explosive. Be explosive guys! Get after the quarterback, get after the run games.”

Coach Quinn has unlocked the potential in a lot of players over the years, and he has Payne fired up. He knows he has a dog, so all that’s left for him to do is let the big dog eat!