Does Commanders 'Aggressive' Offseason Mean They Rank With Texans?
ASHBURN, Va. - As NFL teams prepare for training camp, Yahoo Sports is releasing power rankings, taking into account everything teams have done to improve their rosters - and their front offices - leading up to summer. The Washington Commanders find themselves in familiar territory once again in 2024.
The Commanders have been receiving praise for their aggressive offseason. But, Yahoo Sports' Frank Schwab talks about their power ranking, and why he is not drinking the Kool-Aid while seeing promise in the franchise.
He's got ther Washington Commanders' Power Ranking at No. 29.
The Commanders were given credit for signing a young up-and-coming GM, Adam Peters, and a head coach in demand, Dan Quinn. ... Then drafting a quarterback seen by some as the best in the draft, Jayden Daniels.
In the end, it has Yahoo insisting that this trio could be "the type of nucleus that can turn around a franchise very fast."
This praise comes from the idea of mimicking the successful 2023 season of the Houston Texans, a team whose 2022 offseason process many have viewed as a roadmap the Commanders should follow.
The similarities in their approach include signing a defensive-minded head coach in DeMeco Ryans, and drafting a quarterback that some believed to be the best of the group in C.J. Stroud. They also had a young GM who wasn't afraid to spend money in free agency in Nick Caserio.
But that's where similarities end, pointing out the possible flaw in making the Texans and Commanders connect.
"The problem with using the Texans as an example of a quick turnaround is they hit an unprecedented amount of green lights. They hired a great head coach in DeMeco Ryans who probably would not have looked their way if he was drafted by another team way back when. They didn't have the first pick of the draft but C.J. Stroud fell to them at No. 2 and ended up being perhaps the greatest rookie quarterback in NFL history. Many young players broke out at the same time. It's hard to replicate all of that."
The Texans did have a lot of breakout stars, and cast-off veterans over-perform in 2023. The Commanders hoping for that in 2024 would be a stretch; it's hard to cartch lightning in a bottle with frequency.
But Schwab does believe the Commanders are heading in the right direction, writing, "Even if it doesn't turn around right away for the Commanders, the future looks a lot better. Finally, Washington can start operating and acting like a real NFL franchise again."