Dan Quinn's first signing as Commanders head coach will make Cowboys fans laugh

The jury is still out on whether Dan Quinn will recruit any Dallas Cowboys free agents to play for him on the Washington Commanders. Given the nature of the NFL, you have to think Quinn has a shortlist of Cowboys on his radar that could spark a Washington defense that was arguably the worst in the league last season.

ESPN projected Tony Pollard to reunite with Quinn on the Cowboys rival, but the latest rumblings surrounding Pollard's market indicate a return to Dallas is far more likely than when the season ended.

Regardless, it'll be interesting to see how Quinn operates in his first offseason as Commanders head coach. They have the No. 2 overall pick, over $90 million in cap space and multiple trade chips to potentially net more future draft capital.

The Commanders will likely make a big splash, but Quinn and Adam Peters just made their first signing as a head coach-general manager duo and it leaves a lot to be desired. From a Cowboys perspective, it's great news.

Dan Quinn signing TE Zach Ertz will make Cowboys fans laugh

Ertz finished last season on the Lions practice squad so he didn't have to wait for the new league year to sign with a new team. Quinn and Washington deserve some credit for beating other teams to the punch for Ertz's signature, but we can't help but question the move.

Now 33 years old, Ertz hasn't played a full season since 2017. Over the last two years, he played 17 of a possible 34 regular-season games. He suffered a torn ACL and MCL during the 2022 season and followed that with a quad injury this past season that landed him on injured reserve.

In seven games, Ertz caught 27 passes for 187 yards and a touchdown, so it's not like he was productive for Arizona when healthy. While Ertz was on IR, second-year man Trey McBride took the TE1 mantle from Ertz and ran with it to the tune of 81 catches for 825 yards and two scores.

It's clear Ertz is nearing the end of his career. Just in the last three years, he's suffered a torn ACL/MCL, a hamstring pull, calf strain and the aforementioned quad strain. That doesn't even consider all of the injuries he suffered when he made Pro Bowls left and right with the Eagles.

Quinn signed Ertz at a bargain (one-year up to $5 million), but he can't be trusted to lead the Commanders' tight end group in 2024. Cowboys fans would love if that ends up being the case, especially with Quinn and Co. primed to select a quarterback with the No. 2 overall pick.

Maybe Ertz ends up making Quinn look like a genius. Or maybe, signing an oft-injured tight end approaching his mid-30s doesn't work out.

Because when has that ever worked out?

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