Washington lost the “Football Team” surname over the winter and became the Commanders. By any name, they went 14-19 over the past two seasons, extending their streak with a losing record to five years (31-50). Carson Wentz takes over the quarterback job after a lackluster end to 2021 with the Colts. Running back Antonio Gibson and wide receiver Terry McLaurin have bright futures, and Washington added some offensive depth (RB Brian Robinson and WR Jahan Dotson) in this year’s draft. The development of WR Dyami Brown and healthy seasons from WR Curtis Samuel and TE Logan Thomas are critical. For Washington to have a competitive season, its defense must return to 2020 status (top-five ranking).
Offense
With injuries and below-par options at quarterback, Washington tried to run the ball as much as possible in 2021. They threw the ball 53.6% of the time with a top 10 team in rushing attempts (477). Wentz should work as a winning game manager while running a balanced offense.
