Don't Sleep on the Washington Commanders
It’s easy to overlook the Washington Commanders. They’re seemingly the odd-man-out in a division that includes the Cowboys and Eagles, who are favored to be the class of the NFC, as well as the much-improved New York Giants. Not to mention, they’re pinning their hopes to an unknown, unheralded starting quarterback in Sam Howell.
Yet the Commanders are a talented team in their own right. Many might have forgotten that their defense was among the best in the league a year ago. They were 7th in points allowed and 3rd in total yards. They were tough in both phases of the game, allowing the 6th-fewest runs of 10 yards or more and finishing as the NFL’s top-ranked defense on 3rd down.
This was mostly without dynamic pass rusher Chase Young, who missed all but 3 games. Getting Young back this season will complete what is one of the most dangerous D-lines in football, which is made up of nothing but 1st-round picks:
DT Jonathan Allen - 17th overall pick, 2017
DT Daron Payne - 13th overall pick, 2018
DE Montez Sweat - 26th overall pick, 2019
DE Chase Young - 2nd overall pick, 2020
Defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio has been a big part of the quarters revolution taking over the NFL. Since arriving in Washington 3 year ago, his defenses have been among the league leaders in quarters usage. With the ability to limit big plays and a D-line that gets after the quarterback, the Commanders could have an elite defense this year if their front-4 can stay healthy.
The other side of the ball is where there is more mystery, and potentially, more excitement.
New offensive coordinator Eric Bienemy brings a new flavor of offense after spending the last 10 seasons in Kansas City. This is a great situation for him personally because it will give him the opportunity to prove just how much value he actually adds as an offensive mind.
Bienemy has been stuck in Andy Reid’s shadow for a while now. It’s hard to separate how much he actually added to the Chiefs offense versus how much was Reid. Not to mention, Bienemy was working with a pretty good quarterback who could make even the worst play-calls and play-designs look brilliant.
In Washington, however, any offensive success the Commanders have will be credited directly to Bienemy. No one will say he only had success because Sam Howell was his quarterback. The even better news for Bienemy is that he’s got some really good weapons to work with around Howell.
Washington’s receiving corps is sneaky good. There aren’t that many 3-receiver groups in the league better than Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, and Curtis Samuel. That backfield of Brian Robinson and Antonio Gibson isn’t too bad either.
Howell is obviously the big question mark. He’s looked pretty comfortable running the offense and playing from the pocket this preseason. But we of course won’t know what he’ll be for sure until we see him in the regular season.
While the Commanders might begin the season without McLaurin for a few weeks, they should have the ability to improve drastically on last year’s numbers, which were near the bottom of the league.
Before we officially move ahead into this season, here’s a look back at the Commanders’ team stats and NFL rankings from 2022:
