MADRID — Sam Cosmi woke up in his Madrid hotel room at 5 a.m. on Wednesday. Hungry and jet-lagged, the Washington Commanders right guard said he reached for his phone, pulled up TikTok and mapped out all of the local tapas and churros spots in the city he wanted to try.
MADRID — Sam Cosmi woke up in his Madrid hotel room at 5 a.m. on Wednesday. Hungry and jet-lagged, the Washington Commanders right guard said he reached for his phone, pulled up TikTok and mapped out all of the local tapas and churros spots in the city he wanted to try.
“There’s a lot of stuff around here,” Cosmi said with a smile Wednesday. “So don’t worry: I’m going to be diving into that headfirst.”
Washington’s players and coaches have billed this week in Madrid as a much-needed opportunity to bond and potentially start to turn around their season. A win against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday would end a five-game skid ahead of next week’s bye.
On a more fundamental level, though, players and coaches have also acknowledged how cool it has been just to be here. They’ve spent their free time roaming the city’s streets and their evenings sharing meals at local restaurants — ranging from Japanese to Mediterranean cuisine, in addition to local fare.
“When we’re back home in Ashburn, everybody’s got their families at home, too, after practice. So sometimes you can miss out on the piece of building that connection,” cornerback Mike Sainristil said Thursday. “[It’s been great] being able to have conversations, talk, go down the street to the coffee shop together, or maybe at night go to dinner together — whatever that looks like, just being able to find different ways to hang out.”
Sunday’s game will be the NFL’s first in Spain, and this is Washington’s first international trip since it played the Cincinnati Bengals in London in 2016. The Commanders opted to spend the week in Madrid acclimating, rather than flying out on Friday, as some teams have done for other international games.
Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury said he previously vacationed in Madrid, but only a handful of Washington players had been to the city. So the trip has been full of new experiences.
“I’m just trying to learn as much Spanish as I can,” safety Quan Martin, one of the team’s first-time visitors, said with a grin.
For soccer fans on the team, this week has also been a cool crossover. Washington’s practices have been on soccer turf at the immaculate facility that usually houses global powerhouse Real Madrid. Their game will be the first professional football game played at the iconic Bernabéu Stadium.
“I’m actually a big soccer fan, so really excited about that,” Kingsbury said Thursday. “To play where [Kylian] Mbappé and Cristiano [Ronaldo] played will be pretty special for me, personally. And then I know our team’s excited about it as well.”
While the matchup will feature a pair of 3-7 teams, it is nevertheless expected to draw a sizable crowd. When asked what Spanish fans can expect, Frankie Luvu said it will be “a lot of violence,” at least relative to the type of football they’re used to.
“I hope they’re loud for our defense and quiet for our offense,” Cosmi added. “That would help a lot.”
The setting of practice is not the only change this week. It’s also the first week in which Quinn has taken control of the defense, overseeing game-planning in place of defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. — who retained his title but lost his role as defensive play caller.
Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner said he hopes the move will “create a spark” for a defensive unit that has frequently appeared out of sorts, particularly in recent weeks. But he also said it reflects a lack of execution from players, rather than the ineffectiveness of Whitt.
“We as players have to take onus of us being out there on the field,” Wagner said Wednesday. “The coaches aren’t out there on the field. So we have to execute better, regardless of who’s calling the defense.”
Other defensive players offered similar perspectives. Veteran outside linebacker Von Miller repeatedly praised Whitt in an interview with 106.7 the Fan and said “in this environment, it always falls back on the coach, even though it’s not the coach’s fault.” Luvu said it’s less about the coverage or defensive scheme that is called and more about the players’ ability “to bring the play to life.”
“We’re the ones that are out there on the field,” Sainristil added. “We’re the ones that’s out there having to execute.”
Quinn said the shift in responsibilities will have a mild ripple effect, prompting him to further rely on members of his staff for help with game management. He said he will specifically “lean in on” Dave Gardi, the team’s senior vice president of football initiatives, and assistant head coach Brian Johnson. Kingsbury said his responsibilities have not changed.
The Commanders announced Thursday they have selected architectural firm HKS to spearhead the design of their $3.7 billion stadium on the RFK site in Northeast Washington. The firm also designed SoFi Stadium — which is home to the Los Angeles Chargers and Rams — and U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, among others.
Commanders President Mark Clouse described the selection of HKS as “a major step forward” in the stadium process. The team and the firm will now begin finalizing the design concept, which will be presented at community meetings for feedback in the coming months.
“HKS has a proven track record of delivering world-class stadiums that balance design, functionality and community impact,” Clouse said.
The Commanders expect to break ground on the new stadium in 2027 ahead of a planned 2030 debut.
One of the subplots to Sunday’s game will be the reunion between Quinn and Dolphins Coach Mike McDaniel. McDaniel was an offensive assistant on Quinn’s staff in Atlanta for two years and credits the Commanders’ coach as one of the people who helped him find sobriety in 2016.
“He was there, ground zero, when I became sober and supported me and believed in me and gave me the opportunity to continue what I love to do. For that, I’ll be forever indebted to him,” McDaniel told reporters Wednesday. “I think it speaks to the type of man he is and the type of leader he is that I know. He touches every player he coaches from a true, authentic standpoint, and I think the Commanders are very fortunate to have him.”
McDaniel, 42, went on to find acclaim as an offensive mastermind in San Francisco before being hired as the Dolphins’ head coach in 2022. He has been sober since 2016.
“When there’s an issue, sometimes you don’t want to let somebody you’re with know — you’re counting on them, they’re counting on you. But really your leaning in, that’s the biggest strength,” Quinn said. “ … I think that takes a lot of guts to do that. And that’s one of the reasons I’m real proud of him.”
Wide receiver Terry McLaurin was seen working off to the side with a trainer at Thursday’s practice. Quinn said he is beginning the on-field portion of his rehab process as he continues the navigate the right quadriceps/hip flexor strain that has interrupted his season. … Safety Will Harris returned to practice Wednesday, a little more than seven weeks after he suffered a fractured right fibula Sept. 21. … The team announced Thursday it has opened the 21-day practice window for defensive end Drake Jackson, a midyear addition who could provide depth on the edge in December.
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