of Washington Commanders They were an intriguing enigma heading into the 2024 NFL season: They hadn’t won more than eight games since 2015, and hadn’t won more than 10 games since Madonna’s “Justify My Love” became the No. 1 song in America in 1991. (Not coincidentally, they won the Super Bowl that year.)
Entering the 2024 season, the Commanders unfortunately find themselves in a familiar situation of transitioning to a new head coach and quarterback.
They poached Dan Quinn from their rivals. Dallas Cowboys After firing head coach Ron Rivera, they brought in Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels. LSU He will be the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL Draft in 2024. Regardless of how you feel about Daniels’ professional potential (more on that in a moment), the move Washington made could be one that surprises many in Year 1 of the Quinn regime.
Added free agents for commanders
The Commanders have not been shy about spending money this offseason, paying out more than $167 million in total to free agents. Several of those players followed Quinn from Dallas to Washington. Defensive ends Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler, and cornerback Noah Igbinoghene will play a role in strengthening the Commanders’ defense, which allowed the most yards in the NFL in 2023. Armstrong and Fowler, in particular, will significantly increase the pressure from the edge for the Commanders, as Washington had the lowest pressure rate of any team. The two recorded a combined 11.5 sacks as rotational pass rushers in Dallas in 2023 and have earned larger roles in Washington this year.
It was clear that the Commanders’ goal was to add some respected veterans on both the defensive and defensive lines. I’m happy to add Frankie Louv at linebacker. He is one of my favorite players in the league and has consistently, but quietly, been one of the best off-ball backers in football. He recorded 5.5 sacks from the middle of the field last season and 12.5 over the past two years. Not only that, he is one of the best cover linebackers in the NFL and has a great nose for the ball. Bobby Wagner joins Louv and makes for a very good linebacker tandem in the middle of the field. He led the NFL in tackles in 2023 despite his age. Signing Jeremy Chinn to pair with Darrick Forrest adds two very solid safeties on the back end as well. Overall, this unit has a low hurdle to clear from last season and should improve significantly even after losing Kendall Fuller.
More importantly for the Commanders defense, this won’t be Jack Del Rio’s unit. Quinn will likely use more man coverage and be aggressive with how many rushers he sends out. This style of defense will favor 2023 first-round draft pick Emmanuel Forbes, who struggled under Del Rio.
Offensively, Washington finished the season with the sixth-fewest rushing yards in the NFL, and much of that was down to a weak offensive line. They had former Cowboys player Tyler Biadasz and Texans There’s no one playing inside, but the big-name addition is running back Austin Ekeler, who has three straight 1,000-yard scrimmage seasons and will be looked at as the veteran leader of this young offense. And while all of these additions are noteworthy, Washington’s fate this season hinges on the performance of its rookie quarterback.
Commanders’ 2024 NFL Draft picks
Quarterback Jayden Daniels will enter the NFL with some red flags. At 6-foot-4 but weighing just 210 pounds, he looks like the latest Jackass Cinematic style of play. His slim build and reckless style of play are the movies Washington fans have already seen with Robert Griffin III. Additionally, I am skeptical of Kliff Kingsbury directing the offense. We know how it went in Arizona. Terry McLaurin is a great receiver, perhaps the most underrated receiver in football, but you’ll have to see him in action to believe him on offense.
Defensively, though, Washington hit some home runs. With the second-round acquisition of Illinois defensive tackle Johnny Newton and Michigan cornerback Mike Sainistir, Washington had two starters for Day 1. Newton was arguably the best interior lineman in the draft, and Sainistir was the best nickel corner in the draft. They also got the best tight end in the draft, Ben Synnott, and would be nice to close out Day 2 with slot receiver Luke McCaffrey from Rice University.
Washington Commanders change of ownership
A big reason the Commanders were willing to spend so much money was because they had new leadership at the top. Josh Harris and the Commanders’ new ownership group recognize that this is essentially a rebuild, and they seem willing and able to put in the money and patience to do it the right way.
It’s a completely different approach than previous owner Daniel Snyder, who spent money but often concentrated it on one player, which always ended in failure. There are countless examples of Snyder spending big money on players like Deion Sanders, Adam Archuleta, Jeremiah Trotter and Albert Haynesworth, the latter of which was over $100 million. With Harris, he doesn’t often take big money shots that lead to mass strikeouts. Rather, the Commanders are looking to hit singles and doubles with good role players and reliable veterans.
From a roster perspective, the Commanders are much better than they were 12 months ago, and the same can be said about their coaching staff. They had big holes all over their defense and offensive line, but they fixed them and they added Daniels, who is expected to be their franchise quarterback. At the very least, they will be better than they were when they were 4-13 in 2023. At the most, when you look around the NFC, can they be a wild-card candidate and maybe even slip in? Probably.
Realistically, this seems like a team that can win six to eight games and use this season as a stepping stone to further development leading into 2025. But a lot of that development and potential will depend on how good their rookie quarterback can be and whether he’s the long-term answer.
