The Washington Commanders will kickoff the 2024 NFL preseason against the New York Jets today with an exuberance not seen in the DMV area since Daniel Snyder officially sold the team to Josh Harris one year ago. The celebration in Washington, D.C. following the sale was almost like winning a Super Bowl because there was suddenly a chance some day to reach an NFC championship again.
Prior to every season under Snyder there were brief shots of adrenaline to excite fans. Maybe it was a “dream team” of players past their prime, or Joe Gibbs returning to bring the team back to the glory days of the 1980’s and that last Super Bowl season in 1991. Or, maybe it was some top draft pick who would be the franchise player only to become a total bust.
Under Snyder, optimism would slowly wane into poor quality of play with a weak product on the field and drama leaking inside and outside of the locker room. There were shenanigans in the front office and a culture of deceit and indecency from an owner who hired general managers to be his friends, players to be his buddies and coaches to be his whipping boys. But after 24 years of sheer mediocrity as a team and organization on and off Fedex Field, there’s a true sense of hope and optimism today across the DMV area.
Bethesda, Md. native Josh Harris, owner of the Philadelphia 76ers, brings an ownership group with a proven winner and successful businessman in Earvin “Magic” Johnson. Also, billionaire Mitchell Rales from Bethesda joins the group to help give fans something they’ve craved for the last 25 years–a quality NFL franchise on and off the field. Last year, the ownership group observed the team’s front office, the coaches, the players, the good, the bad and the ugly. Then, after the season, they got to work.
Ron Rivera was let go one day after the final game of the season and in the offseason, Adam Peters, arguably one of the major architects of today’s Super Bowl runner up San Francisco 49ers, was hired as general manager of the Commanders. Peters started a general overhaul by hiring Dan Quinn, defensive coach for the Dallas Cowboys and former head coach of the 2016 Atlanta Falcons Super Bowl LI team. Quinn’s Falcons under Matt Ryan as quarterback blew a 25-point lead in the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots and lost in overtime. Valuable lessons can be learned from bitter losses and it’s that experience and wisdom that Quinn brings with him.
Certainly Harris has learned lessons from his experience as owner with the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA. Unlike Snyder, Harris is putting the fans first and that means his top priority is winning football games. “Magic” Johnson has shown he’s a winner on and off the basketball court and he didn’t join the ownership group to lose. Neither did businessman Mitch Rales.
Harris and Rales understand the tradition of football in Washington. The team name so many fans want to return may not be back but maybe that “R” will be back on the helmet. The name “Commanders” is likely to change following this season and while it would have been nice to go into this season with a new name, ownership can only do so much in one year. That’s why former team President Jason Wright is no longer President but an “advisor” with the team.
This season literally begins a new era designed to induce a culture of winning. Ownership has been adding the necessary elements for that culture with a solid GM in Peters to find talented coaching and players available, including Quinn, offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr., part of Quinn’s defensive staff with the Dallas Cowboys. Former Seattle Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner and former Eagles and Cardinals tight end Zach Ertz add veteran leadership to a team building mostly through the draft and with moderately priced free agents.
Granted, it’s preseason but at high Noon today against the Jets at MetLife Stadium, coaches will observe this team in their first real game scenario and they’ll see second round draft pick QB Jayden Daniels in an NFL game for the first time. Practice is over and there are a host of questions to answer that will take longer than three preseason games.
Will Daniels be the star in the NFL that he was at LSU? Will his college achievements translate into a future NFL championship? Will the Commanders offensive line improve enough this year to give Daniels enough time to throw the ball? Will the line open up lanes for running backs Brian Robinson Jr. and newly signed free agent Austin Ekeler? Can Quinn turn the defense into a force resembling last year’s top 5 ranked Dallas defense? Is there a future NFL star like Micah Parsons or DaRon Bland to show up for the Commanders on defense this season? Are the wide receivers outside of Terry McLauren able to perform at a professional level this year? Will Emmanuel Forbes Jr. meet expectations and become a star cornerback in the NFL?
There is no question the 2024 season will require patience and trust from the fans. There is a solid front office in place focused on consistent improvement on and off the field to grow the Commanders into a culture reminiscent of the once quality franchise that brought a tradition of winning to the Nation’s capital. There are players with talent on this team and young players in the draft to groom into NFL professionals. Patience, however, has never been a strong suit for Washington football fans. Still, optimism is in the air and gradual improvement can go a long way to feel good by the end of the season. Fans have learned the hard way in the DMV area that it’s not that shot of adrenaline at the beginning of a season that matters but the quality of play at the end of a season that determines the losers from the winners.
Buckle up. The new era of Washington Commanders football begins today.
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