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What was Tyler Owens’ reaction to recording one of the best plays in Week 1 of the NFL season?

Not much, apparently.

When Washington head coach Dan Quinn came over to congratulate him, the gunner gave him the verbal equivalent of a shrug.

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“He’s like, ‘Oh, thanks man, that’s what I do,’’” Quinn recalled. “It was like no big deal. And you’re like, ‘Man, this is a really big deal.’ It was one of my favorite plays on special teams in a long time.”

Seemingly everyone else agreed with Quinn.

Owens went viral after he took on two Eagles defenders on a punt return and stiff armed them into the ground while running downfield. He then spearhead punt returner Britain Covey into the turf.

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CBS commentator and former NFL All-Pro JJ Watt called it “legitimately one of the greatest football plays I’ve ever seen.” Former Commanders quarterback Robert Griffin III said it is “one of the greatest grown-ass man plays ever.”

Others made parody videos of Owens as the Hulk.

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“It was one of the proudest plays for me,” Quinn said. “He’s a guy where the speed and strain is always there. To see that one come together, it was just awesome.”

Owens had a reputation as a freak athlete in college. At Texas Tech, he touched speeds of 23 mph in a game. At the NFL combine in 2024, he recorded a 41-inch vertical and a 12-foot-2-inch broad jump.

Quinn said many of the best athletes in college don’t get a lot of special teams snaps because they’re so focused on their roles on offense or defense.

Owens fit that mold as a defensive back at Texas Tech and, before that, Texas.

But his speed and athleticism indicated to the Commanders that he could contribute on special teams.

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“There are traits that show up on tape. It is just somebody that you see refusing to stay blocked. The receiver that is just breaking tackles and finishing downfield. He may not be the fastest player, but he is just demonstrating a willingness to go finish. I think that is where it starts,” Quinn said.

“A lot of the best special teams players can absolutely fly. T.O. is one of those guys,” he continued. “But the guys who know, ‘This is going to be a hard down and I’m going to fight my way to get through that.’ That is the secret sauce to finding those guys.”