In examining Washington’s executive structure on the football side, head coach Ron Rivera sits on the top. Behind Rivera are general manager Martin Mayhew and executive vice president of football/player personnel Marty Hurney.
Next is Eric Stokes. Stokes has the title of senior director of player personnel and came to Washington in 2020 with Rivera. Before Washington, Stokes spent time in the front offices of the Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Miami Dolphins and Carolina Panthers.
Rivera has called Stokes a future general manager.
Last week, Stokes spoke with the media, discussing Washington’s cutdown day, the practice squad and the organization’s process when scouting college players.
Finally, Stokes asked about offensive coordinator and assistant head coach Eric Bieniemy and his role in selecting players. After all, Bieniemy had a role in bringing right tackle Andrew Wylie and reserve wide receiver Byron Pringle to the Commanders.
“Eric’s been fantastic,” Stokes said of Bieniemy. “Obviously, we brought in Wylie; we brought in Byron] Pringle. I think the one thing that is also missed on Eric is that he’s a fantastic listener. It’s not just communication that is one way. He also does a great job of listening. I think when you combine those two, it’s been seamless. It’s been easy to work with EB, and actually, it’s a joy. I love getting in, having those conversations with him, and he has the same bulldog mindset as all of us. I love that competitive spirit about him and I love his interest in the personnel.”
Bieniemy also had input into the selection of rookie running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. Rivera said after the 2023 NFL draft that Bieniemy — a former NFL running — “really liked” Rodriguez.
The early returns from Bieniemy as offensive coordinator have been promising. His work with quarterback Sam Howell has Washington fans excited about the potential of the offense in 2023.