The Washington Commanders finished 4-13 in 2023, with head coach Ron Rivera losing his job last month. With new ownership and three consecutive non-winning seasons, Rivera entered his fourth season in Washington on the hot seat. He didn’t help himself with a miserable 2023 offseason.
The Commanders’ most significant move in free agency was re-signing defensive tackle Daron Payne to a new four-year deal. That was the right move. However, to fix Washington’s beleaguered offensive line, Rivera chose to sign Nick Gates to a three-year as the new center and Andrew Wylie to a two-year contract to play right tackle.
In the 2023 NFL draft, Rivera gambled on cornerback Emmanuel Forbes with his first-round pick and doubled down on defensive back Quan Martin in the second round.
The remainder of Washington’s draft was spent on developmental players.
While it’s impossible to fully evaluate a draft class after one season, Eric Edholm and Chad Reuter of NFL.com ranked all 32 2023 NFL draft classes, giving each class a letter grade.
As expected, the Commanders faired poorly, coming in at 31st with a D+ grade.
The Commanders used their first two picks on DBs, and both had their share of struggles as rookies. Forbes was a playmaking artist in college, but that skill didn’t translate readily in Year 1, as he was repeatedly picked on early in the season (miscast in a zone-heavy defense) and stripped of his starting role. His best moments — and Forbes had a few — tended to come against lesser offenses. It seems clear he’ll face a big offseason with Dan Quinn and the next coaching staff.
Martin earned the nickel role down the stretch, and he spent some time at safety, too, much like he did in college. Finding the right spot for him in a new defense will be interesting. Martin also could project to be a jack of all trades capable of playing multiple roles.
Henry got his chance following the trades of Chase Young and Montez Sweat, logging some eye-opening snaps along the way. The body of work as an every-down player remains incomplete, but Henry could make it as a rotational rusher next season. Jones also saw a late-season uptick in playing time, albeit with fewer flash plays.
Washington could have used OL help but received almost nada from Stromberg and Daniels as rookies. Stromberg played 26 snaps of mop-up time, and Daniels landed on IR after struggling in camp and preseason. Their futures seemingly remain very much up in the air, especially with the new Quinn regime in town.
If there was a rookie bright spot, it was Rodriguez, who averaged 4.8 yards per carry and established himself as an angry, forceful runner in spite of being overlooked much of the season. He logged a long carry of at least 11 yards in each of his final five games and could be a first- and second-down tone-setter if he can avoid injuries.
One of new head coach Dan Quinn’s top priorities will be restoring the confidence of Forbes. The good news is Quinn has hired a talented and experienced coaching staff on both sides of the ball.