Ron Rivera is likely entering his final days as head coach of the Washington Commanders. Rivera accepted his fate months ago and heads into this weekend’s game against the Dallas Cowboys, realizing it’s probably his last game as coach.
On Wednesday, the coach was in a reflective mood when reporters were discussing his time in Washington. One of the questions for Rivera focused on the franchise’s inability to find a franchise quarterback. This isn’t only a Rivera problem; it’s one that has plagued the organization for years.
Rivera acknowledged how difficult it has been, but, correctly said it’s not only difficult for Washington, but it’s tough for every team.
“In all honesty, that’s probably been the biggest crux of it all, is trying to find that guy,” Rivera said. “I mean, that’s the hardest thing for anybody. It doesn’t matter whether you’re here or that you’re at one of the other places that are looking for that guy. I mean, you’re fortunate if you get a head coaching job where there’s a guy, you better relish that, and you better succeed.”
He’s 100% correct. Some will look at this as Rivera blaming others for his lack of success. He has made plenty of mistakes at the quarterback position alone. There’s no debating that, but he is correct in saying that head coaches are not going to consistently win if they don’t have a franchise quarterback.
Rivera then spoke of the regime before him that featured quarterback Alex Smith and former head coach Jay Gruden.
“I’ve said this before, if you know a guy like Alex Smith if he never gets hurt, I never come here because I think Jay and what they were doing would’ve continued,” Rivera said.
Before he came to Washington, Rivera was the head coach in Carolina, where he was Cam Newton’s head coach for nine seasons. So, he understood what it meant to have a franchise passer.
“I mean, you get a guy like that, man, you run with it. I promise you that. It would’ve been cool to have a guy like that, it really would’ve, because I think there’s a lot of talent in that room. I think there are some good playmakers. In the last four weeks, we’ve only given up three sacks. So, there’s some potential there. But to have a guy that’s been there, that’s been developed, that’s pretty cool. I promise you that if you go there, you’re a head coach and you got to have success. You should.”
You can appreciate Rivera’s honesty here. What he is saying is true, although Washington wasn’t lighting up the scoreboard with Smith under center in 2018 before his unfortunate injury. No one would debate the impact Smith had in the locker room and who he was as a leader, though.
Gruden, before Rivera, was also a victim of not having a franchise quarterback. Unfortunately for Gruden, he did have one in Kirk Cousins, but Cousins was never going to re-sign with Washington as long as Bruce Allen and Dan Snyder were in charge. While Cousins isn’t considered an elite quarterback, he is a borderline top-10 passer and was playing at an MVP level for the Vikings this season before his injury.
Rivera never tried to develop a young quarterback in his first three seasons with Washington. After seeing a then-rookie, Sam Howell, play well vs. Dallas in Week 18 last season, Rivera put everything on Howell as the future heading into 2023. At times, Rivera looked wise for making that bold move as Howell looked like a future franchise QB at times, but his play has trended downward throughout the second half of the season.
It’s also true that Rivera didn’t exactly set Howell up for success. The offensive line was a mess heading into the season and while it has improved lately, it’s too little too late.
Now, as Rivera departs, his greatest gift to Washington will be the potential No. 2 overall pick that the next regime will likely use to choose the Commanders’ quarterback of the future.
Interestingly enough, Rivera came to Washington in 2020 and had the No. 2 overall pick. He chose defensive end Chase Young, who he traded in October.
Meanwhile, Miami selected Tua Tagovailoa, and the Chargers selected Justin Herbert a few picks later. At the time, it seemed like a good move, considering Young was considered a generational prospect who could impact games as an elite pass rusher. That never happened after a promising rookie season.
While Tagovailoa has blossomed under Mike McDaniel with the Dolphins, if Rivera could go back, Herbert would’ve been the slam-dunk choice.
Unfortunately, no one in life has the ability to make decisions with the benefit of hindsight. Don’t expect Washington’s next regime to pass on a quarterback with a top-three pick, though.