Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn is, if nothing else, a culture guy. Of course, he also happens to be a top-notch defensive mind, which is why he's the top man in the nation's capital. His first year in Washington with this approach, unlike in Atlanta at his first head-coaching stop, was phenomenal. Part of that was Jayden Daniels, but another part was Quinn and general manager Adam Peters also went to work to rebuild the culture and, in turn, their relationship with the fanbase too.
Now, armed with Quinn, a budding superstar in Daniels, and a roster that they aggressively added the likes of Laremy Tunsil and Deebo Samuel to this offseason, the Commanders are sitting pretty. They're one of the easiest teams in the NFL to root for.
Quinn and Peters are also making sure that, for fans in Washington, that's even truer this offseason and perhaps into the preseason as well.
Following the conclusion of the NFL Draft and with undrafted free agent signings coming in with a frenetic pace, the Commanders invited former Rice safety Gabriel Taylor for a tryout at rookie minicamp this offseason. Taylor is the brother of Washington legend Sean Taylor, who was tragically killed in the midst of his phenomenal NFL career.
Could Gabriel Taylor actually make the Commanders?
While it's not a training camp invite or a UDFA contract, Taylor isn't anything close to a slouch. During his career with the Rice Owls over four seasons, he racked up 10 interceptions, four sacks and 27 pass defenses. That's a nice college career and, even if undersized, he clearly has some talent in the secondary.
Still, it's obviously an uphill battle for Taylor to make the Commanders roster. It's always a longshot for even a UDFA signing to fight their way in the offseason and into the preseason in order to make the final 53-man roster. That's even more so the case with someone coming to rookie minicamp for a tryout to earn a spot in training camp.
At the same time, Taylor conceivably fits a niche that Washington might need. They have a solid safety room with free agent newcomer Will Harris and Quan Martin on patrol. The depth at the position, however, is a bit suspect, to say the lease. Not to mention, there are some questions at nickel corner. Given that Taylor excelled in coverage and as a blitzer from the secondary, that's potentially an avenue for him to prove himself and earn a serious look as a depth piece.
One thing that's for sure, Commanders fans will be fully behind Taylor as he tries to crack the roster. It's a story that feels almost out of a 2000s Disney sports movie classic, but that makes it all the easy to root for it to come to fruition.