ASHBURN, Va. -- The Washington Commanders needed to change. A 2024 run to the NFC Championship Game was followed by a disappointing season that resulted in the draft's seventh pick. The team went from 12-5 to 5-12 in one year.

Injuries punctuated Washington's 2025 with numerous players on offense missing multiple games, from quarterback Jayden Daniels to receiver Terry McLaurin. But one person close to coach Dan Quinn said during conversations with him he never mentioned the injuries -- instead looking ahead to what must change.

So, as he enters Year 3 in Washington -- and while no one in the organization is saying he's on any hot seat yet -- the Commanders look different, underscoring the urgency behind Washington's offseason moves.

"The changes that are required, those are hard, and that pushes that [urgency] some," Quinn said. "But yeah, I would say it's heightened for sure. And there's also an energy that comes with that, and I'm leaning into that hard too."

Here are the changes Washington has made so far this offseason.

New coordinators

The biggest changes occurred shortly after the season ended, when Washington fired defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. and mutually parted ways with offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. That led to the hiring of DC Daronte Jones, a first-time coordinator in the NFL, and David Blough, an assistant quarterbacks coach the past two seasons after playing in the NFL for the previous five years.

"I can say it's as focused as I've seen a coaching group together, working at it together, and that is something that's really lit me up," Quinn, who took the new staff on a retreat earlier this offseason, said in March.

He made it clear during meetings last season that he wanted to run the ball more, according to multiple team sources. And he discussed it after the season as well.

It'll take time to determine if Quinn's decision to use two first-time coordinators leads to success. But he likes the early returns.

"I wanted to see big collaboration, their communication," Quinn said of the offensive coaches. "Our offensive staff has got a lot of experience; use those guys in different ways. That's what I've seen so far."

As for Jones: "I have been impressed by Daronte's teaching," Quinn said. "He's thoughtful about it."

New philosophies

Washington didn't just switch coordinators, it changed philosophies on both sides of the ball.

The Commanders will play a different style on defense -- at times using a 3-4 look and playing far more zone than the past two years. On offense, they returned to what guard Sam Cosmi called a more "traditional NFL offense" under Blough.

Kingsbury favored a more no-huddle approach with almost all plays out of shotgun or pistol formation. The Commanders ran 1,279 plays out of no-huddle under Kingsbury -- that was 815 more than the No. 2 team, Philadelphia. Blough won't ditch the tactic but told ESPN earlier this offseason that they'd use no-huddle around 20% of the time.

Under Kingsbury, Washington also ran the fewest snaps from under center -- 157 fewer than the Cincinnati Bengals, the No. 31 team.

During an OTA practice Wednesday open to the media, the Commanders ran a lot more snaps from under center, using play-action out of this look as well.

"I really do like our offense a lot," Cosmi said. "The style we are presenting is very beneficial to us, especially in the run game -- and the play-action was brought back. ... Being under center helps a lot, just not being one-dimensional than just being in gun. Having both [gun and under center] can definitely help us moving forward."

Jones coached the past three years under defensive coordinator Brian Flores in Minnesota, and will borrow from him as well as other coaches he has worked under, including Vance Joseph, Marvin Lewis and Mike Zimmer. All feature various forms of pressure packages, particularly Flores.

The form Washington's defense takes under Jones' command is unknown. But the Commanders will, if nothing else, play a lot more zone than in the past. Over the past three seasons as the defensive pass-game coordinator in Minnesota, the Vikings tied for first in zone coverage plays and were 30th in man. Washington, in Quinn's first two seasons, ranked 12th in man and 27th in zone.

Defensive lineman Charles Omenihu called the defensive system "D-line friendly" and said that it gives them "tools that keep you on one-on-one blocks in the run game and, for the interior guys, a lot of picks and stunts."

Another aspect to consider: Some team sources said they believed the defense was hurt last season by practicing against an offense that was atypical, with fewer motions and shifts. The Commanders struggled against teams early in the season in particular when facing offenses that featured a lot of pre-snap movement.

Meanwhile, Washington's offense struggled when facing defenses with creative pressure packages. Now both sides of the ball can work against what they struggled to beat in 2024.

"Seeing what [Minnesota] did to us last year, they're a tough defense, and they have you guessing a lot," Cosmi said. "It's good to go against that."

New starters

It's not as if there were wholesale changes on both sides of the ball. The Commanders didn't need to add as much on offense as they did on defense. A healthy Daniels and a present and healthy McLaurin will help the pass game.

The pairing played only two full games together in 2025. In 20 games, including three postseason contests, in 2024, they combined for 84 receptions, 1,171 yards and 15 touchdowns. But in 2025: 10 catches, 116 yards and no touchdowns.

"He makes other players around him better and improve," Quinn said of a healthy Daniels. "A defense has to play differently because of him."

But the Commanders did add tight end Chig Okonkwo in free agency, along with running backs Jerome Ford and Rachaad White; and they did draft receiver Antonio Williams, whom multiple coaches have praised privately during the spring. They'll also have a new center. Nick Allegretti, as of now, is the favorite to become the starter. And they still might add a receiver

But the bigger changes will occur on defense where they could have five, or perhaps six, new starters. That's not surprising given the lack of recent success: They were 27th in points, last in yards and 31st in takeaways last season.

Among the potential new starters are end Odafe Oweh, linebackers Leo Chenal and Sonny Styles, and safety Nick Cross.

Linebacker Jordan Magee, who also might challenge for a starting job, called Chenal and Styles "athletic freaks."

Others, such as corner Amik Robertson, outside linebacker K'Lavon Chaisson, lineman Omenihu and tackle Tim Settle either will challenge for a starting job or become a key backup.

"We've got some motherf---ers now," said tackle Javon Kinlaw, before rattling off a list of those players.

As one coach said after an OTA practice Wednesday: They are longer and more athletic in the front seven.

Which is why Kinlaw said, "We looked damn fast today."