The latest Washington Commanders failure has a circular poetry to it. Everything is set to end where it started.
When the Commanders abandoned their franchise quarterback need and selected Chase Young No. 2 overall in the 2020 NFL draft, they aimed to build a defensive superpower along the lines of what the San Francisco 49ers had done to build a Super Bowl team after adding Nick Bosa to their already talented unit. And now, after less than 312 seasons, Washington has traded Young — to San Francisco! — for a third-round pick.
As coach and personnel czar, Ron Rivera began his tenure by selecting Young first overall over quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert. By the end of a trade deadline fire sale on Tuesday, the team had dealt Young and 2019 first-round pick Montez Sweat in moves aimed at building a future without Rivera.
Miscalculations, as well as poor player development, have backfired on the Commanders. They can’t avoid getting hit in the eyes.
The Commanders went 25-32-1, made one playoff appearance, and never won a game during what was supposed to be an era of defensive line abundance that would hasten Rivera’s effort to build a winner. During this time, their defense went from excellent to regressive, solid to miserable. They have allowed the second-most points and fourth-most yards in the NFL this season, and the Commanders (3-5) must make do without two starting defensive ends who have combined for 112 sacks in 2023 for the remaining nine games.
With a weakened pass rush, their coverage issues are about to worsen. When defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio had Sweat, Young, and former Alabama tackles Jonathan Allen and Darron Payne in the first round, he couldn’t create consistent ferocity upfront or build around them with consistent play at linebacker and in the secondary. The Commanders have spent a significant amount of draft resources and free agency spending on defense since a few years before Rivera arrived. As a result, nearly every year, a collection of mismatched talent performs like a collection of mismatched talent.
When you look at the defense right now, there are only three players who every team in the NFL would consider unquestionable keepers: Allen and Payne, who are on their second contracts, and safety Kamren Curl, who was a seventh-round pick in 2020 and should be in line for a new deal. Washington has drafted 16 defensive players under Rivera, with six being selected in the first three rounds. Curl, linebacker Jamin Davis, and cornerback Benjamin St. Juste are the current starters.
If these prospects were offensive prospects, their mediocre batting average would be understandable, albeit still unsatisfactory. You could explain it as Rivera, a defensive coach given the keys to an entire franchise for the first time, making mistakes outside of his expertise. However, Rivera arrived in Washington in 2020 after leading the Carolina Panthers to a solid defensive-driven era, and he inherited the trio of Allen, Payne, and Sweat. He had the No. 2 overall pick and hired Del Rio, who had a solid track record as a coordinator and a reputation for properly deploying talent.
Rivera only needed to do a competent job to establish a defensive identity. Del Rio and the defensive staff, on the other hand, appear to be behind the times on some days and unable to meet players where they are on others. The Commanders only agree on underperformance.
You may recall that I was a Young supporter prior to the 2020 draft. I expected Rivera and Del Rio to bring out all of his athletic brilliance and turn him into a homegrown face of the franchise, a game-changing presence who would be so difficult to block that the entire D-line would benefit. I was obviously mistaken.
But here’s what’s troubling about this failure: Young is not a dud. He’s not Bosa with golden dreadlocks, but he’s a 24-year-old with 14 career sacks in 34 games. Injuries have cost him the equivalent of 112 seasons, but he’s back to his disruptive self. Sweat, who was traded by the Commanders to the Chicago Bears for a second-round pick, is a talented player. Allen is a star, and Payne is one of the best interior linemen in the league. Yet, for 312 seasons, they were just intriguing loose parts that never came together to form a machine. They were rarely imaginative or connected in the way they rushed.
They didn’t make each other better, and they may thrive now that they’re no longer together. Washington was correct to move on, and the front office did an excellent job of salvaging an extra second- and third-round pick from two players who were set to become free agents after this season. However, the personal and organizational flaws are astounding. Possibility became a letdown far too quickly.
Young was a game changer as a rookie. Despite finishing 7-9, Washington finished second in the NFL in total defense and won the NFC East. Then, due to player immaturity and poor team management, progress was halted. Young became the personification of that disappointment. It was bigger than him, but as the last product of a star culture fostered by former owner Daniel Snyder to the detriment of his coaches and organization, Young fell in love with transcendence before establishing himself as a football player. The injuries humbled him, and by the time he was healthy and at ease, it was too late for the team.
Young could thrive in a 49ers culture rife with star power and leadership. He can help a defense that needs it, but he’s just another big-name player on a team that includes Bosa, Trent Williams, George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, and Fred Warner. And, as the least accomplished of the group, he understands that he must go to work. If he succeeds, he may be able to compete for a championship while increasing his value before free agency.
A familiar word beckons in his hometown: rebuilding. It will be the new Josh Harris ownership group’s first major project, and depending on how the Commanders finish, the assignment may or may not be a complete teardown. But make no mistake about what Young and Sweat’s trades indicate: the future is more important than scuffling through the present.
Harris isn’t interested in covering up the truth with duct tape. The Commanders require a new standard for this to be a new era.
That meant stockpiling draft picks on Tuesday. Rivera has less as he tries to save his job. However, it appears that he has allowed his future to be determined after reflecting on how he fared with abundance.
