Commanders coach Dan Quinn explains why two undrafted players made 53-man roster

Adam Peters made it known that the roster he inherited with the Washington Commanders was not good. When asked his thoughts on the roster upon his hiring in January, Peters’ silence spoke volumes.

Perhaps Peters was using his poker face. However, when free agency arrived in March, it was clear what Peters thought of the Commanders’ roster, signing over 20 outside free agents.

On Tuesday, Peters finalized his first 53-man roster. He didn’t keep many draft picks from the prior regime. In fact, only two players remain from Washington’s 2023 draft class, one of which will be playing for his Commanders’ future in 2024.

Peters’ initial 53-man roster included his rookie draft class and two undrafted free agents. Two UDFAs making the roster is proof of Peters and Dan Quinn’s philosophy of competition over everything.

The two undrafted rookies making the roster were safety Tyler Owens and tight end Colson Yankoff.

After Tuesday’s final cuts, Quinn spoke to the media and discussed Owens and Yankoff making the roster.

“I’d say both of them really have the propensity to absolutely go for it,” Quinn said per Ben Standig of The Athletic. “You feel their intensity, you feel their speed when they play, both on special teams and on offense and defense, respectively. At the end of it, when you’re really trying to establish an identity that you’ve heard me use that word before, I think those examples come back up. The speed, the physicality, the effort, the straining, those are things that are Commander-style plays and I thought those two really represented that.”

That’s quite the way to describe the qualities you’re looking for. Peters and Quinn don’t care about draft status. They want players who love football and leave everything on the field, on every snap. Undrafted rookies often bring that type of energy.

In addition to bringing maximum effort, Owens and Yankoff are terrific athletes. Owens has world-class athleticism and excellent size, while Yankoff has played quarterback, running back, wide receiver, kick returner, and now tight end. He should be a fun chess piece for offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.

Most coaches and new regimes need to search for an identity. Quinn and Peters appear to have found that identity, and these two undrafted rookies perfectly symbolize that identity.