Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn spoke to the media earlier today to deliver some final thoughts from the bye week before moving on to the New Orleans Saints. Here are some of the highlights from his press conference.

A positive update on Marshon Lattimore.

The Commanders have inched cornerback Marshon Lattimore along the path towards recovery and getting up to speed on the defensive system. He got his first real practice reps two weeks ago but was still ruled out ahead of the Tennessee Titans game with optimism that he would be ready for his debut against the Saints.

There wasn't a clear indication from Quinn that Lattimore will be ready to go this weekend, but there's strong optimism for that being the case.

"Last week went good," Quinn said when asked about the cornerback's status. "A lot of top-speed running, so [he's] hitting all the markers as we're moving along."

Quinn added that Lattimore looked good during Monday's work and the team is looking forward to getting him "regular work" in practice this week. The progress Lattimore has made throughout the process that has spanned over the last month has Quinn encouraged about what's next for him.

Lattimore will need to show that he can play at full speed in practice this week before he gets the approval from the staff that he is ready to make his Washington debut. That means he'll need to show he can play full speed and change direction without any hindrances. Lattimore has passed every step so far, but until the Commanders get to the end of the week, Quinn said he plans to "stay guarded" on the cornerback's status.

It's a big deal to have the offensive line healthy after the bye week.

Quinn said after the Titans game that he could tell the players needed a break after going nearly three months without a true bye week. It might have seemed like a disadvantage earlier in the season, but now that they're more rested than almost every other team at this point in the season, it could provide a boost in the team's playoff push for the final four weeks.

That rest should prove beneficial to the entire roster, but that's particularly true for the offensive line.

"In December and January football, the line of scrimmage is really the thing that leads the way, both sides," Quin said. "And we've seen that all over the league for years and years and so that will be no different this year. And so, to have these guys trending this way, at this time of year and feeling better, that's a big deal."

With Washington relying so heavily on their ground game, it will be paramount for the team to have its offensive line as healthy as possible. Players like Tyler Biadasz, Brandon Coleman and Nick Allegretti all spent time on the injury report in recent weeks.

Andrew Wylie, who suffered a concussion against the Dallas Cowboys, missed the Titans game but is on track to being available for Sunday's game against the Saints. Quinn said "everything's trending up for him to go and get a full week of work in."

Having Wylie back should help the Commanders achieve their goal of having a strong presence at the line of scrimmage.

"Now that we've established a lot of playing time together, that has to be the focal point as we're moving forward through this final stage of the second half of the season for us."

No chance of the Commanders looking ahead.

Anyone who looks at the current playoff picture can see that the Commanders currently own the No. 7 seed in the playoffs and control their destiny. If they win out, they'll make it as one of the 14 teams competing for a Super Bowl.

Quinn and the Commanders aren't looking that far ahead.

"There's zero chance we're talking about four weeks down the road, but what I can tell you...is that we really try to stay into the here and now," Quinn said.

That falls in line with the way the Commanders have approached the entire season. Despite the team's success, they have tried to put all their focus into what's immediately ahead of them. So, even though the Commanders have a strong chance of making the playoffs for the first time since 2020, their attention is on getting a win over the Saints, who have struggled this but have also won three of their last four games.

Quinn described Washington's situation with the concept of a base camp, meaning that rather than reaching the summit, he wants the players to overcome the next obstacle.

"I just try to make it a discipline," Quinn said. "Can we be disciplined enough to not look three and four weeks down the road? And that's what we'll constantly go after."