It has been a busy offseason for Washington. It started with the long-awaited rebrand, with the team becoming the Commanders. A new logo followed, which was promptly scrapped after a fan backlash. They then made moves to at quarterback, bringing in Carson Wentz to helm the Commanders’ inaugural season. Head coach Ron Rivera will be hoping this is enough to bring him his first winning season since joining the team in 2020.
Offseason additions and losses
The big change for Washington comes at quarterback. After a failed push to acquire Russell Wilson, they picked up Carson Wentz in a trade with the Colts. The deal is fairly risk-free for Washington, with the ability to cut Wentz with no dead money penalty in 2023 if things don’t work out. Elsewhere they added a quality guard in Andrew Norwell, who signed a very reasonable two-year, $10 million deal. The team also made some notable extensions, particularly that of Terry McLaurin who signed a three-year, $71 million deal.
The big departure for Washington was guard Brandon Scherff. The five-time Pro Bowler left for Jacksonville in free agency after playing over 5,000 snaps in Washington. They also lost their other starting guard from 2021 in Ereck Flowers, who was cut after just one season with the team. The cap saving measures continued with several notable names on defense getting cut, including Matt Ioannidis and Landon Collins.
2022 NFL Draft
| Pick | Player |
| 1.16 | Jahan Dotson – WR, Penn State |
| 2.47 | Phidarian Mathis – IDL, Alabama |
| 3.98 | Brian Robinson – RB, Alabama |
| 4.113 | Percy Butler – S, Louisiana |
| 5.144 | Sam Howell – QB, North Carolina |
| 5.149 | Cole Turner – TE, Nevada |
| 7.230 | Chris Paul – OT, Tulsa |
| 7.240 | Christian Holmes – CB, Oklahoma State |
The Commanders’ draft strategy in 2022 was nothing if not unconventional. Jahan Dotson is a really talented wide receiver, but at just 5’10” and 178 lbs there will be concerns about whether he can impact the game enough to warrant such a high pick. Their decision to then add to positions of strength with their next two picks was equally surprising, though recent reports do indicate that Brian Robinson could see plenty of action as a rookie. The one later round pick to keep an eye on is Sam Howell. It isn’t every day that a day three quarterback could make an impact, but with Carson Wentz’ history of underwhelming we could end up seeing him sooner than some think.
Offense
Washington has had a reputation for boasting one of the league’s best lines for years. Despite the losses they have faced this season in Brandon Scherff and Ereck Flowers this still looks like one of the better units in football. Charles Leno is a dependable left tackle, whilst Sam Cosmi flashed serious potential in his nine games at right tackle. Chase Roullier missed time in 2021, but he’s a really underrated center when he’s on the field. He’s flanked by two good guards in Andrew Norwell and Wes Schweitzer.
Outside of the offensive line Washington boast a talented supporting cast. Terry McLaurin is a true WR1, averaging over 1,000 yards a season since entering the league in 2019. Jahan Dotson gives them a strong second option in the passing game and you can expect him to do plenty of damage from the slot as a rookie. Curtis Samuel should also have a bounce back year after he was limited to just 86 snaps in 2021. With a backfield of Antonio Gibson, Brian Robinson, and J.D. McKissic they also have the tools to win with the ground game.
As with divisional rivals and Wentz’ former team Philadelphia, the question mark hanging over the offense in 2022 is quarterback. Wentz’ downfall over the last two seasons has been severe. In that span he ranks 28th in quarterback efficiency rating, behind the likes of Taylor Heinecke and Daniel Jones. Some might hope that the talent around him will elevate his game in 2022, but that didn’t seem to happen in Indianapolis last season. If Wentz doesn’t show a substantial improvement this offense has little chance of success.
Defense
Washington’s defense was a serious disappointment in 2021. After a stellar 2020 season that saw them rank third in defensive DVOA, they dropped all the way down to 27th. Injuries played a big part in that, particularly along the defensive line. Edge rushers Chase Young and Montez Sweat were limited to a combined 19 games and their replacements weren’t able to keep up a steady stream of production and get to opposing quarterbacks.
Looking ahead to 2022 it isn’t out of the question that we see the team trend back towards that 2020 form. Sweat appears to be back to full health and should be on the field for Week 1. He joins a hugely talented interior pairing of Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne who combined for 114 pressures and 72 defensive stops in 2022. Whether the unit can reach their ceiling will depend on the return of Chase Young, who is still recovering from the ACL tear he suffered in Week 10 of last season.
The worry for Washington fans is that there are question marks everywhere else on defense. Linebacker is a major worry. Neither Cole Holcomb or Jamin Davis impressed in 2021 and both were liabilities in coverage. Kendall Fuller was good at cornerback, with the second most pass breakups in the NFL, but the other boundary options struggled. There is uncertainty at slot cornerback too. Multiple players split the role last season and the projected starter in 2022 (Benjamin St-Juste) has never played there before in the NFL or in college.
Prediction
This offseason has been a strange one for Washington. Despite making a move for a new quarterback, it is difficult to see how this team got much better. There are talented players at various positions, but there isn’t the consistency of quality at key spots to make this team anything more than an also-ran in the NFC.
