Washington Commanders: Major changes need to come if wins don’t
By Hunter Noll
The first three weeks of the 2022 season have been … rough for fans of the Washington Commanders. Even the lone win felt like it was hampered by far too many negatives. And after a blowout loss to NFC East divisional rivals the Philadelphia Eagles, it feels like changes need to come if the wins don’t.
Going through the first three games of the season, how many positives can you find for the Washington Commanders?
Washington Commanders may need wholesale changes if wins don’t come
Carson Wentz hasn’t been very good. The offensive line looks disastrous. Not only can the defense not stop anyone, but they aren’t even creating turnovers to bail themselves out. Hey, the wide receiver trio of Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel, and rookie Jahan Dotson have looked phenomenal. But even bringing that up highlights the fact that Washington needs to get McLaurin involved earlier in games.
This isn’t just a player issue either. It feels like Washington is getting severely out-coached each week. Defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio has been in the doghouse with fans for a while, and that’s understandable. The Commanders never seem to have an answer for opposing offenses. It doesn’t help that he seemed absurdly quick to throw players under the bus as early as Week 1 *cough* Jamin Davis *cough*.
Offensive coordinator Scott Turner seemed to want to take some heat off of Del Rio though, as he hasn’t been much better. The play calling feels uninspired, to say the least. Washington’s offensive line is getting wrecked? Apparently, the solution was to continue running slow developing plays (although Wentz needs to get rid of the ball faster as well).
It just feels so predictable.
Ron Rivera is also under fire. This is his personnel. The talent evaluation clearly wasn’t great. And he’s not setting the players up to succeed either. Meanwhile, his constant insistence that things are headed in the right direction despite everything pointing the opposite way doesn’t win over many fans.
Let’s be realistic. Most fans would love to see a change in ownership. But outside of that, what can change midseason? There are only two really big answers here.
Quarterback and the coaching staff.
Yes, the overall numbers look good. But Wentz has a number of issues. He holds on to the ball way too long. The accuracy is pretty ugly at times too. He’ll make some great throws, but that doesn’t just erase the bad plays.
If he continues to struggle, rookie Sam Howell needs to get an opportunity this season. This will depend on several factors though. Do they feel the rookie is ready? Is Washington starting to win? Does the offense find a flow with Wentz even if he continues to be rocky?
As for the coaching staff, that one is much more straightforward. If the Commanders continue this upsetting play, it’s hard to envision any of the major coaches (we won’t go as deep position coaches or anything) lasting much longer.
Whatever the potential shakeup is, the path is clear. If the Washington Commanders don’t start winning soon, they need to start changing. Just because the fans are accustomed to losing, doesn’t mean they deserve a bad product year-in-and-year-out.