Daniels earns his 'C' - and this time it sticks for the whole year
Dan Quinn broke with his own tradition Monday and named five season-long captains, the clearest sign yet that this Commanders roster has a different kind of identity heading into Philadelphia.
In brief
Daniels earns his 'C' - and this time it sticks for the whole year
Dan Quinn has run this program for three seasons now, and one of his signature habits has been the weekly captain ritual: gather the team each Friday, name three players, move on. It was a deliberate choice - keep leadership fluid, give different voices a moment, avoid the politics of permanent status. He did it in 2024. He did it in 2025. Then, on Monday morning, he scrapped the whole thing.
As the Commanders began preparing for their Week 1 opponent, the franchise named five season-long captains, stepping away from Quinn's usual weekly setup. The five: Terry McLaurin, Jayden Daniels, Frankie Luvu, Jeremy Reaves and Tress Way. The team will also name one additional game captain each week.
Quinn did not present this as a routine housekeeping announcement. He framed it as a reaction to the group in front of him.
"There's a lot of leaders here. That was probably the thing that prompted us to say, 'This is probably the right time,'" Quinn said. "These are five really heavy hitters as leaders here."
The most meaningful name on that list is Daniels. Not because it's a surprise - nobody is shocked the quarterback got a 'C' - but because of what it actually means for him personally. Although Daniels served as a team captain for single games his first two seasons, this is the first time, and first opportunity, in his career that he has been a captain for the entire season. That distinction matters. A per-game captain designation is a reward. A season-long one is a statement about who runs the building.
Daniels has always been viewed as a leader by his teammates, but his coaches have noticed him leaning more into that role in his third season while learning a new scheme. That new scheme belongs to offensive coordinator David Blough, promoted after Kliff Kingsbury was fired in January. Learning a new system and teaching it at the same time is not a small ask.
Daniels spoke plainly about it after the announcement.
"I just think it comes with reps here. Going into my third camp, my third year, I have more of a voice and you mature more over the years," Daniels said. "You play a lot of ball. You go do a lot of different things on and off the field, so you're gonna mature in this league. So now it's kind of just being more intentional with not only myself but getting the guys around me ready and rallying the troops."
McLaurin next to him on offense makes obvious sense. McLaurin has proven himself as one of the best receivers in franchise history from a statistical standpoint, and has provided invaluable knowledge to younger receivers on the roster, mentoring players like Dyami Brown and practice-squad player Jaden Bradley. He'll lead an improved group of skill players that includes Stefon Diggs, Chig Okonkwo and Antonio Williams. That is a legitimate receiving room for the first time in years, and McLaurin is the one who set the example when none of those other names were here.
On defense, Luvu is the choice that surprises some people on paper but nobody inside Ashburn. Luvu has been named a captain for the second time in his career. He was elevated to the role with the Carolina Panthers after Shaq Thompson suffered a season-ending injury and, rather than use his Tuesdays off like most players, he was at the stadium watching film. The defensive unit's other representative is Jeremy Reaves, a long-time special teams ace who has since emerged as a starting safety.
Then there is Tress Way. The player with the most time in Washington is the punter, and Quinn said Way will represent the special teams unit as captain. Way has been with the franchise through the worst of it - the name changes, the ownership chaos, the coaching carousels. Him getting a formal 'C' in the season Washington opens its new stadium era at the RFK campus is a nice footnote for a guy who stuck around long enough to see it.
This is a genuine change for Quinn. During the 2024 and 2025 seasons, he typically announced an offensive, defensive and special teams captain for that week's game. This time, he said the team voted to name these season-long captains.
The timing is not incidental. The Commanders are looking to improve upon an injury-riddled 5-12 record from last season, make the playoffs after a one-year absence, and end their five-year NFC East title drought. The roster heading into Philadelphia next Sunday is already battered - Trey Amos, Laremy Tunsil and Jer'Zhan Newton have all hit injured reserve - and the offensive line questions are very real. Naming permanent leaders, players who own the locker room through January not just Sunday to Sunday, is a way of telling the group: we are not running the same organization that went 5-12.
Quinn believes the roster has reached a different point in its development, one where permanent leadership roles make more sense. Whether that belief survives contact with the Eagles on Sunday afternoon is the actual test. Washington hosts a trio of practices this week before traveling to Philadelphia, where they kick off the season at 4:25 p.m.
Daniels will be the one calling plays and leading drives. McLaurin will be the one setting the edge in that wide receiver room. Luvu will be the one showing younger linebackers like Sonny Styles what a captain's Tuesday looks like. Reaves will be the voice in the secondary that just lost Amos for the foreseeable future. And Way - well, Way will keep punting, which he has done better than almost anyone in football for a long time now.
Five captains. One week to go. The Eagles do not care about any of it.
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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.
