Before the 2024 season, the Washington Commanders drafted a new quarterback, hired a new head coach, and brought in a new general manager. It went as well as anyone could've hoped for and then some.
This time around has brought some harsh reality checks.
The Commanders are 2-2 after four weeks. Injuries have plagued the offense, and the defense has underperformed. Coaching and management decisions have come under scrutiny. All in all, success doesn't feel as easy as it did last year.
Welcome to life in the NFL. It's not supposed to be easy.
Commanders' early-season cracks shouldn't detract from the bigger picture
The Commanders were one of the league's trendy regression picks over the summer. While it's still too early to make any definitive judgments, what can be confirmed is that the vibes are not as positive as they were last year. Wins feel more like the standard than the goal, and losses feel more demoralizing, creating the warped perception of taking steps back.
It underscores a statement that can apply to any team in the NFL, or in any sport, for that matter: the Commanders are flawed.
General manager Adam Peters, head coach Dan Quinn, together with the staff and roster they assembled, are not immortal deities who can turn everything they touch into gold. Jayden Daniels isn't some magical superhero who can carry his team with sheer willpower. They are humans, and humans are imperfect beings.
The mistakes and vulnerabilities of the Commanders' new regime have been highlighted in recent weeks. The Marshon Lattimore trade is not aging well. Defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr.'s schemes have been questionable. Terry McLaurin has paid the price for willingly sacrificing a whole offseason of conditioning. Daniels has been hurt.
None of this is to say Washington can't turn itself around. This group has already proved what it's capable of and has shown exceptional resolve and determination in responding to adversity. To anybody throwing in the towel on the season, let's keep the "woe is us" loser mentality back in the Dan Snyder era, where it belongs.
If you can't handle when life isn't sunshine and rainbows all the time, then sports aren't for you.
The Commanders are in the process of building a team that should compete for deep playoff runs for many years to come. But it's a process — one that was so far ahead of schedule that it made everyone forget just how much further there is to go.
It's now up to those within the organization to stay on course and grow from a setback that was always inevitable.
More Commanders news and analysis