It’s a new era for the Washington Commanders in 2024 as the team is starting off with a fresh clean slate. Out is head coach Ron Rivera, but now the ownership led by Josh Harris and Magic Johnson has employed Dan Quinn as the new head coach and named former San Francisco assistant general manager Adam Peters as the team’s new GM as things are looking up for the team. Quinn has also brought in Kliff Kingsbury to be offensive coordinator and Joe Whitt Jr as defensive coordinator. The team also has overhauled the roster drastically as they signed 26 free agents plus have brought in a talented draft class. The hope is that in the near future, this team could reclaim its former glory days before the Dan Snyder era.
Will Jayden Daniels Prove To Be The Guy?
There’s been so many quarterbacks under center for the Commanders the last 25 years that it probably has it’s own Wikipedia page. However, the hope is that their number one draft pick, Jayden Daniels, will be the franchise quarterback as he was the Heisman Award winner for LSU last year thus meaning there is some hope. That being said, Commanders fans hope this isn’t déjà vu as the last time this happened, Robert Griffin III, was tasked to be the franchise quarterback and now everyone knows what happened after that. If Daniels can develop, utilize his speed, and gain some experience this season, then hopefully the future is bright in Washington.
How The Offense Will look
The offense looks revamped and it could help Daniels be a bit more successful in his first season than some might expect. The number one running back, Brian Robinson, will carry most of the loads, but Austin Ekeler will come in to help and could be utilized very much like how Antonio Gibson was used taking the pressure off Robinson. The wide receivers are obviously led by star wide out Terry McLaurin, but newcomers Olamide Zaccheaus and Noah Brown should help give Daniels more options plus having help from Dyami Brown and Jamison Crowder as slot/speed guys. Luke McCaffrey could develop into a legit threat as well at wide receiver making this group deep. At tight end, the team is bringing back Zach Ertz who was once an elite tight end for Philadelphia. John Bates is nice depth, but draft pick Ben Sinnott is very talented and could get a lot of reps out there. Marcus Mariota and Jeff Driskel will backup Daniels, but they have starting experience just in case Daniels either struggles or gets hurt. The offensive line was brutal last season, so that was a central focus to fix. However, free agents Nick Allegretti and Tyler Biadasz are excellent pickups and should help Andrew Wylie, Sam Cosmi, and Cornelius Lucas plus rookie Brandon Coleman makes the line deeper and might be used in swing tackle situations.
How The Defense Will Look
Quinn’s bread and butter is defense and this could actually make a difference for this team between either a potential wild card spot or a higher pick in the draft. The defensive line is absolutely the strength of this defense and might actually be one of the deepest groups in the entire league. The headliners are Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne as they are some of the best in the league, but Dorance Armstrong and Clelin Ferrell come over and make this group even deeper. Phidarian Mathis will hope to be healthy as he adds a lot to this group and Jamin Davis makes a position change which could be a game changer for not only him, but the team. Rookies Jer’Zhan Newton and Javontae Jean-Baptiste probably won’t get too much playing time unless they show some potential thus forcing Quinn to play them more. Maybe a rotational system could be employed to help keep the defensive line healthy, put more bodies out on the field for blitz situations, and to give playing time to a lot of people. The linebacker corps will be interesting as Dante Fowler, Frankie Luvu, and Bobby Wagner come to the team to essentially star as the new and revamped group. With their experience, expect these linebackers will be asked to help “quarterback” this defense and lead them. The defensive backs looks stacked too as Jeremy Chinn and Noah Igbinoghene come to the team to help provide experience and leadership for a young group. Percy Butler, Emmanuel Forbes, Darrick Forrest, Quan Martin, Jeremy Reaves, and Benjamin St-Juste are all very talented players and could cause some havoc for opposing receivers. Rookie Mike Sainristil also looks to help make this group deeper too as he helped Michigan have one of the top defenses in the nation last season and has game changing talent. This defense could be one of the best groups in all of the NFL this season.
Schedule
Game 1: at Tampa Bay
Game 2: New York Giants
Game 3: at Cincinnati
Game 4: at Arizona
Game 5: Cleveland
Game 6: at Baltimore
Game 7: Carolina
Game 8: Chicago
Game 9: at New York Giants
Game 10: Pittsburgh
Game 11: at Philadelphia
Game 12: Dallas
Game 13: Tennessee
Game 14: at New Orleans
Game 15: Philadelphia
Game 16: Atlanta
Game 17: at Dallas
Prediction
The Commanders could either win six or up to nine games this season. Expect a lot of growing pains for Daniels which is expected, but with his mobility, he could help himself win some games. The defense though looks to be the difference between a playoff spot and drafting higher as they could help win some games. There are a ton of winnable games here, but if they are not having a good season by the time they play Pittsburgh, then Washington could play spoiler as that game marks the beginning of the hardest part of the schedule. That being said, this team looks to be a team that is looking for progress rather than be a contender.
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