Commanders HC Dan Quinn can't stop taking pages out of the Dallas Cowboys' playbook
Since he took over the Washington Commanders, Dan Quinn hasn't hidden his fondness of the way things were done during his time with the Dallas Cowboys.That much is evident by his new team's free agency signings, which included Tyler Biadasz, Dorance Armstrong, and Dante Fowler Jr. And then there's his addition of Joe Whitt Jr. […]
Since he took over the Washington Commanders, Dan Quinn hasn't hidden his fondness of the way things were done during his time with the Dallas Cowboys.
That much is evident by his new team's free agency signings, which included Tyler Biadasz, Dorance Armstrong, and Dante Fowler Jr. And then there's his addition of Joe Whitt Jr. as defensive coordinator.
Now, we're witnessing Quinn take yet another page out of the Cowboys' playbook: Turning to the UFL to land a hidden talent.
Following the turmoil behind Brandon McManus' release, the Commanders were left scrambling for kicker help and they found it by signing kicker Ramiz Ahmed, who recently played for none other than the Birmingham Stallions, the same team from which the Cowboys' All-Pro kicker Brandon Aubrey came from.
Ahmed made 10 of 13 field goals in 2023, with his longest attempt being from 46 yards out. Earlier in his career, he had brief stints with the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers.
Now he joins the Commanders looking to become yet another player to make the jump from the spring leagues to the big leagues.
More NFL teams are likely to follow the Cowboys' strategy
As fair as a lot of criticism the Cowboys front office gets for their team building approach, they've set the example of finding UFL/USFL talent over the last couple of years. Not only did they get Aubrey, who set the NFL record for most consecutive field goals made to start his career, but they also got KaVontae Turpin.
Turpin has established himself as one of the best returners in the league, earning Pro Bowl honors in 2022 and the position is only going to grow in importance based on the new kickoff rules.
The UFL produced another round of top-tier kickers during their 2023 season and chances are we're about to witness a bidding war for a few of them. For now, Ahmed becomes the first UFL player to be signed to the NFL (Aubrey technically played in the USFL, before the merger with the XFL).
