The long part of the NFL offseason is over. Rookies across the league are reporting to training camp less than one month from now.
The Washington Commanders open camp on July 18, when the rookies are scheduled to report. The veterans are due five days later.
It’s been a chaotic offseason for Washington but in the best possible way. First, there were no controversies surrounding the owner — he’s gone. Welcome, Josh Harris. The Commanders also hired one of the top general manager candidates of the last decade, Adam Peters, followed by one of the NFL’s most respected coaches, Dan Quinn.
That led to a roster overhaul, in which Washington will have turned over half of its roster. The biggest domino from a personnel perspective is the arrival of rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. If Daniels hits and becomes the player many believe, it hides some of your other flaws.
While there is a lot of optimism surrounding the franchise, it’s not the type of optimism that fans believe a Super Bowl is coming in 2024. Most fans are happy with the long-term approach because, for so long, the former owner chose instant gratification, which backfired every time.
So, how do others view the Commanders, as far as comparing them to other teams?
Yahoo Sports recently released its latest offseason power rankings ahead of training camp and had the Commanders at No. 29.
Why so low?
Grabbing a coach who was in demand, a GM everyone wanted and a quarterback who practically everyone ranked second in the draft class is a good offseason. That’s the type of nucleus that can turn around a franchise very fast.
The problem with using the Texans as an example of a quick turnaround is they hit an unprecedented amount of green lights. They hired a great head coach in DeMeco Ryans who probably would not have looked their way if he was drafted by another team way back when. They didn’t have the first pick of the draft but C.J. Stroud fell to them at No. 2 and ended up being perhaps the greatest rookie quarterback in NFL history. Many young players broke out at the same time. It’s hard to replicate all of that.
Nothing said here is incorrect. There are plenty of reasons why the Commanders should be optimistic about their future. However, the payoff isn’t likely in 2024. And that’s OK. Many analysts and fans have said Washington could be poised to repeat Houston’s success from last season. The two teams were in similar positions before each season. That could happen, but the Commanders play in a more difficult division than the AFC South. And Stroud proved to already be one of the NFL’s top quarterbacks.
Daniels has yet to throw an NFL pass. While there is genuine excitement surrounding his future, there are still many unknowns.