Ron Rivera enters his fourth season as head coach of Washington Commanders in 2023. The 2023 season will be his 13th season as an NFL head coach after nine seasons at the helm of the Carolina Panthers.
To say Rivera needs to win in 2023 would be an understatement. Not only does he not have a winning record in three seasons as Washington’s head coach, but he also has a new owner. Having a new owner is something Rivera is accustomed to, as he went through the same situation during his final years in Carolina.
Rivera is 22-27-1 in three seasons with Washington. After surprisingly leading the Commanders to an NFC East championship in 2020 [with a 7-9 record], Washington has failed to surpass eight wins over the last two years.
While Rivera should be judged for his record — as should every coach — no coach in the NFL has dealt with everything that Rivera has over the past three years. From battling cancer to undergoing three name changes to controversy after controversy surrounding outgoing owner Daniel Snyder, Rivera has still kept Washington competitive.
CBS recently ranked every NFL head coach from 1-32 recently, and Rivera came in at No. 21:
His fatherly leadership has helped ground an oft-dysfunctional organization, and he knows how to deploy a talented defensive front. But the annual flirtation with middling QBs has a cost. Rivera hasn’t led a winning season in six years, and he hasn’t coached a playoff victory since 2015, when Cam Newton won MVP and the Panthers made the Super Bowl.
Rivera’s inability to find a quarterback has cost him during his time with Washington. The problem is the Commanders are never quite bad enough to get the top quarterback.
In 2020, Washington had the No. 2 overall pick, but Joe Burrow went No. 1. The Commanders did have the opportunity to select Justin Herbert but passed for Chase Young. In fairness to Rivera and Washington, almost every NFL team would’ve made the same decision.
In 2023, Rivera is pushing all his chips in with second-year quarterback Sam Howell. After gambling with well-traveled veterans Ryan Fitzpatrick and Carson Wentz the last two seasons, going with Howell doesn’t seem like a bad idea.