Washington Commanders: Identifying the issue with the offense
By Hunter Noll
If you’ve watched the Washington Commanders any time over the last … two decades you might have noticed a constant weakness. The team can’t seem to figure out the quarterback position.
While Taylor Heinicke is a nice story, let’s not pretend like he’s not a backup quarterback. We’ve seen his limitations when it comes to arm strength, errant passes, and decision-making.
The issue is, Carson Wentz hasn’t been better. He has arm strength but didn’t seem to want to use it. Meanwhile, he was holding the ball far too long and had some ugly turnovers.
Sam Howell could be a solution. This is a fifth-round quarterback though so putting all your trust in him to be the franchise QB seems a little foolish. And with Washington in the playoff race, it’s hard to imagine they’ll turn to a rookie QB with zero NFL experience in must-win games.
Here’s the twist though. Washington’s biggest issue right now isn’t the quarterback position. Okay, that’s a problem. But there is something else weighing the team down that until it’s fixed, few quarterbacks will be able to save.
Offensive coordinator Scott Turner and the play calling.
The Commanders seem to have one of the least inspired playbooks in the NFL. Run on what feels like every single first down? Sure. Little use of Heinicke’s legs despite scrambling and throwing on the run being one of his biggest strengths? Absolutely.
Washington has one of the most talented weapons groups in football. Terry McLaurin is a top-tier receiver. Jahan Dotson has looked like a natural in his rookie season, and Curtis Samuel has returned to form. Even Logan Thomas is a nice safety blanket at the tight end position.
The duo of Brian Robinson and Antonio Gibson at running back is dangerous. Especially if Gibson is given a chance to flourish in the receiving game.
Despite all of those weapons, it never feels like Washington is trying to use them all. We seem to just see a lot of screen passes and runs up the middle. Could this be caused by the limitations at QB? Yes, that might be playing a factor. But not even playing to the strengths of those players seems foolish.
Turner has been the offensive coordinator for the Commanders for three seasons now. In that time they finished 25th in scoring (2020) and 24th in scoring (2021). This year they are 25th again.
If you’re wondering if it’s an anomaly, it’s not. They didn’t fare better in total offensive yards. Washington was 30th in 2020, 21st in 2021, and 20th in 2022.
Let’s not pretend like the Washington Commanders are perfect. They absolutely have their problems. But until something changes with the offensive coordinator, there’s always going to be a hard ceiling.