Dan Quinn admits the Commanders still don't know who's starting at center
After Saturday's preseason loss to Detroit, Dan Quinn openly said Washington has "got work to do to figure out where we want to get to at center" - and with Week 1 in Philadelphia three weeks away, that's not a minor footnote.
In brief
Dan Quinn admits the Commanders still don't know who's starting at center
After a 17-13 preseason loss to the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on Saturday, Dan Quinn walked to the podium and said something that should get every Commanders fan's attention heading into the final stretch of August. When asked about the offensive line, Quinn acknowledged Washington has "got work to do to figure out where we want to get to at center." It wasn't a slip. It was a head coach telling the truth about a real problem.
The Commanders open the regular season September 7 in Philadelphia against the Eagles, a defense that ate offensive lines for lunch last year. And right now, Washington doesn't have a reliable answer at one of the five most important positions on the field.
How they got here
There is no question the Commanders need to replace Julian Good-Jones at center. Quinn's admission that the team has "got work to do to figure out where we want to get to at center" came after the surprise release of Tyler Biadasz earlier this summer left the position thin - and the return of Nick Allegretti to the starting lineup, Quinn acknowledged, won't solve everything.
Allegretti himself did not play Saturday against Detroit after dealing with calf tightness. The center had been nursing the issue since early August, though he was able to return to practice Tuesday and went through testing that did not reveal any setbacks. He cleared that hurdle. But missing the Lions game means another week of work lost at a position that was already shaky.
Quinn talked openly about the offensive line after the game, calling the center situation a major concern. He admitted the team needs to figure it out, with Allegretti's injury setback complicating what the coaching staff had hoped would be a straightforward solution.
What Saturday showed - good and bad
The loss itself had layers. Lions backup quarterback Joshua Dobbs faced pressure from linebacker Joshua Josephs, tried to escape the pocket, and ran directly into Commanders cornerback Amik Robertson, who drilled him and forced a fumble. That was the highlight of the night for Washington's defense.
Robertson, a former Lion, wasted no time making his presence felt back at Ford Field. He strip-sacked Dobbs on Detroit's second offensive play, and Washington recovered in the end zone for a touchdown. Fifty-one seconds into the game. The defense looked disruptive at moments.
But the offense couldn't sustain anything. Jayden Daniels played only one drive - whether that was three plays or a longer series was always the plan. Both Quinn and Daniels made clear the focus is the Week 1 opener in Philadelphia, with Daniels and other starters who have seen limited preseason snaps keeping their powder dry.
Washington had the second-worst turnover differential in the league last year at minus-13. Fixing that required fixing the offensive line first. Releasing Biadasz without a clear replacement at center was a gamble, and right now it looks like it hasn't paid off.
The bigger picture: a line that can't get healthy
The Commanders are looking to improve upon their injury-riddled 5-12 record from 2025, a season that was derailed in large part by the offensive line falling apart. The team is also dealing with the pass-rush position after Johnny Newton went down with an injury, and Saturday the Commanders were without Odafe Oweh, K'Lavon Chaisson, and Dorance Armstrong on the defensive front. So the injury attrition isn't limited to the offensive side.
Stefon Diggs joined the Commanders in early August on a one-year, $12 million contract after playing for the Patriots in 2025. McLaurin and Diggs are set to lead a pass-catching corps that also includes Luke McCaffrey, Treylon Burks, rookie third-rounder Antonio Williams, and tight end Chig Okonkwo. The skill positions look real. But Daniels can't do much behind a center who hasn't taken a live preseason snap yet.
Among the questions raised after the Lions game: Quinn said "we've got to figure out center," and defensive line depth concerns are now front and center alongside the offensive line worries.
What comes next
The Commanders have one more preseason game before final cuts. That's the window for Good-Jones, Allegretti, or whoever else gets a shot to either win the job or force Quinn's hand into a free-agent or trade search. The Nationals used first-round picks on shortstops in back-to-back drafts - that's a different sport, but it's the same principle Washington's front office knows too well: positional depth doesn't fix itself. Someone has to make a move.
Setting aside how the coaching staff and front office put themselves in this position with the surprise release of Biadasz, the return of Allegretti to the starting lineup won't solve all the issues with the offensive line. Quinn knows it. He said so publicly. Now the clock is running.
The Commanders' final preseason game is against the Seattle Seahawks. After that, the 53-man roster locks in. If the center spot isn't answered by then, Quinn will be taking an unsettled offensive line into Lincoln Financial Field on opening night - exactly the kind of deficit that buried this team in 2025.
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CAN I KICK IT? screens New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument, on Aug. 22. (Courtesy SHAOLIN JAZZ)
The live-cinema series CAN I KICK IT? returns to the National Mall this month with what its producers are calling the "Gangsters on the Mall" chapter of their free outdoor summer run. On Saturday, August 22, the SHAOLIN JAZZ production brings the 1991 crime classic New Jack City to the Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument for a night of film, music, and community under the DC summer sky.
What sets the event apart is the sound. As the film plays, DJ 2-Tone Jones builds an original score in real time, reimagining one of the most iconic crime movies of the ’90s through hip-hop, soul, funk, and more. It is less a movie screening than a live performance built around the film.
The details:
Film: New Jack City (1991), with a live soundtrack by DJ 2-Tone Jones
When: Saturday, August 22 — seating opens at 7:30 p.m. (bring lawn chairs and blankets); film begins at 8:30 p.m.
Where: Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument, Independence Ave SW & 15th St NW
A parking note from the organizers: expect road closures and restricted parking east of 14th Street NW due to a separate race event in the District. Roads west of 14th Street NW will be accessible and available for parking.
New Jack City is the second of three screenings in this year’s free CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series, which opened with Black Panther at Skyland Town Center and concludes with Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial on September 5. Produced by the Washington, DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, the series has presented more than 150 live cinematic experiences at venues across the country, from Lincoln Center to SXSW.
"I wanted to be able to tell good stories with substance and remove the ‘ego’ out of the art," said Andrew Huang during a recent interview. Now, he’s building his career at the intersection of discipline, creativity and innovation.
Andrew Huang, founder of New Place Studios. (Courtesy photo)
As a Chinese American, Huang was reared with a deep respect for hard work, consistency and excellence. He describes his childhood as "not so affluent" and later attended college to hone his passion for videography. "In college I tried to do something I loved, which was video, but along the way I knew that I had to find a job. And so I thought, ‘what was the low hanging fruit to get to that stable 9 to 5 job?,’" he stated.
Later in life, Huang found himself working for corporations where his creativity was often limited, eventually leading to burnout. "I worked in a corporation for a long time and there were a lot of missing pieces. I wanted to fill in gaps missing in corporate video production," said Huang.
He later described how his upbringing and a mindset of "survival" led him toward a corporate career. However, his desire for balance and authentic storytelling ultimately pushed him to take the entrepreneurial leap.
"I founded a new place where you can create video and film with ‘substance and style,’" said Huang. His desire for work-life balance and passion for storytelling naturally evolved into a small business based in Virginia. With the launch of New Place Studios, the entrepreneur quickly found himself reconnecting with the values that would become the foundation of everything he creates behind the camera.
Huang said being a business owner has allowed him to first embrace himself. While others may see video as simply capturing moments, he sees it as a way to preserve stories that inspire, connect and leave a lasting imprint.
By combining cinematic visuals with cutting-edge production techniques and a keen understanding of branding, Huang helps organizations and individuals communicate their vision with purpose. He said understanding a client’s "why" serves as the compass for delivering the services they need.
One benefit of working with a small business, he said, is that clients get to see the production process unfold through a micro lens while working with the same faces throughout the entire project. "The work feels personal," said Huang.
Huang does not regret leaving behind the flash-over-substance mentality and corporate hustle culture. That does not mean the Asian American entrepreneur has been without challenges in the industry. "It’s relatively hard to find other Asian American creatives or people who would want to work with me in the DMV," said Huang.
He identifies the industry culture in which everyone is trying to blend in, creatives may fear displaying their Asian identity and some feel pressure to adopt an American corporate persona. He also points to what he describes as a level of gatekeeping within the industry. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2024 statistics, Asian American and Pacific Islander entrepreneurs own more than 3 million businesses and employ 5.2 million people in the United States.
After tapping into organizations such as SCORE, which offers free small business mentorship, New Place Studios has become a trusted creative partner throughout the DMV (Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia). The company produces a range of creative services, including commercials, corporate branding, documentaries, film, 2D animation, motion graphics and photography.
For Huang, entrepreneurship has become more than a departure from corporate life. It has given him the freedom to create with intention, build meaningful connections and tell stories that go beyond the surface.
The 2026 CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
For three Saturdays this summer, some of Washington’s most familiar public spaces will do something they rarely do after dark: fill up with blankets, lawn chairs, and the sound of a movie being scored live, in real time. CAN I KICK IT?, the traveling “live cinema” series produced by the DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, is bringing a free outdoor run to the city — pairing three era-defining films with an original soundtrack performed on the spot by DJ 2-Tone Jones.
The premise is what sets it apart from a normal screening in the park. Rather than simply pressing play, 2-Tone Jones builds a score as the film unfolds, pulling from hip-hop, soul, funk, jazz, rock, electronic music, and sounds from around the world. The result, the organizers say, is less a movie night than a one-time performance — the same film you know, wired to a soundtrack you have never heard and will not hear again. Guest DJs warm up the crowd starting at 7:30 PM before each 8:30 PM screening.
The 2026 outdoor schedule
All three events are free and open to the public.
Saturday, August 8 — Black Panther at Skyland Town Center. A pop-up marketplace and community activities kick off the evening; guest DJs at 7:30 PM, film at 8:30 PM. Marvel’s superhero epic gets a one-night-only live score in Southeast DC.
Saturday, August 22 — New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument. Seating begins at 7:30 PM; the film starts at 8:30 PM. The 1991 crime drama plays out at the foot of one of the country’s most recognizable landmarks.
Saturday, September 5 — Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial. Seating at 7:30 PM; film at 8:30 PM. The series closes with Brian De Palma’s crime saga against the backdrop of the Memorial, scored live from start to finish.
First up: Black Panther at Skyland Town Center on August 8. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
A DC company with a national footprint
SHAOLIN JAZZ describes itself as a Washington-based arts company working at the intersection of music, film, art, and culture, and CAN I KICK IT? is its signature production. According to the organizers, the series has staged more than 150 live cinematic experiences around the country — at performing arts centers, museums, festivals, and cultural institutions including Lincoln Center in New York, SXSW, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Republic Square in Austin, the Tacoma Armory, and The Cary Theater.
“CAN I KICK IT? has always been about creating a shared experience,” said Gerald Watson, co-founder of SHAOLIN JAZZ. “When you combine iconic films with live music in public spaces, something special happens. People aren’t just watching a movie — they’re experiencing it together. That’s what makes these nights so memorable.”
Cinema as a community event
The DC run lands as cities across the country look for new ways to activate public space through arts and culture — and this series is a straightforward pitch for how to do it: take a landmark everyone already knows, add a film everyone has an opinion about, and let a live soundtrack turn the evening into something neighbors experience shoulder to shoulder. Families, film buffs, and music fans are all invited, and admission won’t cost a thing.
The CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series runs August 8, August 22, and September 5. All events are free; check SHAOLIN JAZZ (shaolinjazz.com) for the latest details and any weather updates before heading out.
