The Washington Commanders’ secondary has really struggled in 2024.
For one thing, the Commanders have lost most of their pass rushers, so that left the secondary as prey to be picked upon often. And picked upon, they have been, week after week. Things got so bad that head coach Dan Quinn stepped in and relinquished the defensive play-calling from his friend, defensive coordinator Joe Whitt, Jr.
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In 2024, rookie cornerback Mike Sanristil played inside and then moved to outside, collected two interceptions, and then two more in the playoff win at Detroit. But there have been bad struggles in 2025.
But Quinn said Friday, “Yeah, there’s definitely ups and downs, and I thought, here’s what I was proud of for last week,» he said on Friday.
«I thought for the season, I thought that was probably his best game,» Quinn said of Sainristil. «And it may not have had an interception or a big play, but in terms of tackling, just because it didn’t go your way doesn’t mean they weren’t trying you.»
Quinn liked the aggressive style of play brought by Sainristil.
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«There was a fantastic tackle over on the sideline in a two-minute drill. But that’s where I thought, I felt here’s his best and he had sight of that, what he could look like and how it could be. And so, that’s a really important thing. Can we do that again? Can he stay consistent with that? And so, through the ups and the downs, those are lessons that you have to go through.»
It was no secret to anyone that the Commanders’ secondary was leaving receivers wide open, missing tackles, and blowing coverages. The secondary was a complete disaster, as the Commanders gave up 44 to the Cowboys, 21 in the second half to the Chiefs, 38 to the Seahawks (it could have been a lot worse), and, again, 44 to the Lions, in four very discouraging consecutive losses.
Quinn also stated, regarding the secondary, «What I think I’ve seen is the ability to play really fast without the mistakes. And so, I’ve never questioned our team’s efforts, so the speed, the effort, good, but also in control, where you can be on that fine line of going as fast and as hard as you can. But the practice habits and doing that allowed us, I think, to go into the game ready to do that.»
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Washington will also face a former teammate, Jonathan Allen, who signed with the Vikings as a free agent last March. Allen was drafted 17th overall by Washington in the 2017 NFL draft and was the anchor for the defensive line, playing eight seasons in Washington (2017-24).
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Commanders coach Dan Quinn says Mike Sainristil had his best game
