"In an effort to make sense of a disastrous season, Washington Commanders fans have pinned blame on general manager Adam Peters, on coaches like defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr., and on injuries. But in the final analysis, the buck always stops with the players themselves. The Commanders certainly had holes in their roster at the start of the season and have undoubtedly been crushed by injury. But they still have many talented players who have not performed well this year."
"Other players - young and old alike - have been targets of blame. Brandon Coleman went from being a promising left tackle starter as a rookie to the bench in his second year. Team leader Terry McLaurin held out the entire summer and never played up to expectations before getting hurt. At the top of it all, quarterback Jayden Daniels never seemed to have the magic he showed as a rookie."
"There's a good chance they all will bounce back. Washington's most glaring failure lies with the players who were supposed to arrive this season but didn't. Johnny Newton and Ben Sinnott were supposed to be stars. Both were selected in the second round of the 2024 draft - the first under Peters' leadership. The initial reviews of the picks were glowing. John Keim of ESPN predicted both would play a lot from Day 1 and make significant impacts."
The Commanders entered the season with roster holes and significant injuries, yet many talented players failed to perform. A trio of young defenders — linebacker Frankie Luvu, cornerback Mike Sainristil and safety Quan Martin — regressed sharply from the previous year. Other disappointment examples include Brandon Coleman's demotion, Terry McLaurin's offseason holdout and subsequent injury, and quarterback Jayden Daniels' loss of rookie form. Second-round rookies Johnny Newton and Ben Sinnott were expected to be immediate contributors but did not make the needed impact this season despite initially glowing reviews and optimistic scouting projections.
Read at Riggo's Rag
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]