The Washington Commanders cut down their 90-man training camp roster to the initial group of 53 players on Tuesday. Here are some quick takeaways from head coach Dan Quinn's Zoom press conference yesterday.

1. Keeping three quarterbacks.

The Commanders had clear answers at the quarterback spot with Jayden Daniels as the starter and Marcus Mariota as the backup. Teams normally keep just two signal-callers on the initial roster, but Washington decided to keep three with Jeff Driskel rounding out the group. There were a few reasons for that decision, one of the most important being that Driskel earned the spot based on how he played in the preseason. While he did throw an interception against the Patriots, Driskel still showed that he can keep the offense going if he needs to play, as he completed 63% of his passes for 242 yards.

The other reason for that the Commanders decided to keep Driskel: they didn't want to risk breaking up the quarterback room.

"Quite honestly, we like this quarterback room," Quinn said. "And you just want as many guys in the building that are going through the process, understanding the system and working it out at such an important position. As you're going through it, you want as many guys in the building that are always developing and always pushing.

2. The decision at edge rusher.

Of all the moves that Washington made on Tuesday, those they made at edge rusher were considered the most surprising by analysts. The team kept seven (a combination of defensive ends and edge rushers), but did not keep 2023 draft picks KJ Henry and Andre Jones Jr.

Some of that had to do with scheme. Players like Henry were productive during camp and may end up coming back on the practice squad, but they didn't fit what Washington's new staff wanted from the position group. Other players fitting into the new philosophy also played a factor, which was the case with Jamin Davis. Although he was placed in a different role and given a new position, Davis attacked his new responsibilities and adapted his style to fit the scheme. He still has more work to do, but his progress was enough to prove that he could be a contributor.

"I think by and large we've really been pleased with what we've seen from Jamin, and that certainly was part of the factor," Quinn said.

3. The decision to cut Martavis Bryant and Brycen Tremayne.

Both Martavis Bryant and Brycen Tremayne offered something unique to Washington's receiver room, meaning they were larger targets in a position group that was full of smaller, quicker targets. Neither ended up making the initial roster but for different reasons.

The rationale with Bryant was simple: while he had done a good job of acclimating himself to Washington's system, even scoring a touchdown in the preseason finale, he arrived too late into camp to put make a legitimate case for himself. That's not to say that Washington is done with him, as he could still make the practice squad, but as someone who hasn't played in an NFL game against legitimate competition, it will take some time to get back where he was earlier in his career.

"I was proud of him for learning a good bit of the system to be ready to play," Quinn said.

Tremayne regularly stood out in practice with his explosive plays downfield and seemingly solid connection with Washington quarterbacks. That didn't show up as much in the preseason games, though, and while Quinn acknowledged that Tremayne has been "really putting in the work," he still has more steps to develop as a professional player. Quinn also pointed out that Tremayne still has the possibility for "a bigger role on special teams."

"A number of these guys, you can imagine, are right on that cusp, and that's what you're looking to do is give them feedback about what it'll take to take the next steps," Quinn said. "And it's a hard day for a coach or a general manager because real emotions for guys that are absolutely going for it, that love the game."

4. Undrafted free agents make the roster.

There are always one or two undrafted free agents who make a push in training camp and surprise people by making a roster spot. This year, it was Texas Tech defensive back Tyler Owens and UCLA tight end Colson Yankoff.

Owens and Yankoff stood out in different ways. Owens' physicality was his biggest strength, and he used that often on special teams by speeding past blockers on punt coverage and bowling over opponents on kickoffs. Yankoff didn't have splashy plays but impressed coaches on special teams with his enthusiasm and effort.

The one trait they did share, according to Quinn, was the "propensity to absolutely go for it."

"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."

5. Washington isn't done.

The next few hours are going to be interesting for the Commanders. They have the No. 2 spot on the waiver wire, meaning they will essentially have their pick of the hundreds of players now on the market to help improve the roster.

Quinn isn't going to outright reveal the team's plans, but there are some clear needs based on how the roster is structured. Positions like wide receiver, cornerback and offensive line could all be bolstered by the end of the day. The players, Quinn said, are aware that the roster is in a fluid situation, meaning just because they made the initial roster does not guarantee they will be on what Quinn refers to as the 70-man roster, which also includes the practice squad players.

So, while the initial roster is a significant step in the Commanders getting ready for Week 1, they are far from done with that goal.

"I think as you're going through it, it's kind of part of where your needs are and if there are ways that you can do things to address some needs for the team," Quinn said. "So, I think we'll have a better understanding of that tomorrow after we go through tonight. As the wire comes back out today, obviously the scouting department is the key part of that, of assessing a player that may be on another team that gets released and a current player on our team."