After all this time, the Washington Commanders are finally clicking at the most crucial position in football. If Jayden Daniels’ amazing start is any guide, he appears to be a franchise quarterback with the potential to develop into a premier NFL player. It’s early in the process, but the team’s mishandling of Kirk Cousins’ contract situation presented a difficult puzzle that the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft might potentially solve.

Despite being selected far lower than Robert Griffin III in the draft, Cousins was the Washington team’s franchise player. It seems inevitable that they would provide him a long-term contract, but former owner Dan Snyder had other plans. He ultimately received two consecutive franchise tags from the organization before being granted permission to sign a free agent contract in 2018 and join the Minnesota Vikings.

Following Kirk Cousins’ spectacular night, Jay Gruden makes fun of the commanders.

This was the epitome of incompetence. Something that former head coach Jay Gruden emphasized even more in the midst of Kirk Cousins’ historic performance that helped the Atlanta Falcons defeat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in thrilling overtime on Thursday Night Football. With his franchise-high 509 yards and four touchdown passes, the signal-caller became a member of an elite group of players who have accomplished this particular feat.

At least we got a 3rd round supplemental draft pick for Kirk.

— Jay Gruden (@Coach_JayGruden) October 4, 2024

Washington ultimately traded the compensatory third-round pick to the Buffalo Bills in order to enable them to choose tight end Dawson Knox in the draft. They selected offensive lineman Wes Martin and running back Bryce Love with the two picks that the powerful parties obtained in the trade.

After graduating from college, Love was prone to injuries and never participated in a regular season in Washington. Martin played in two different spells of three seasons, starting ten games. Not exactly the greatest return for a quarterback in the ascendancy with his finest years still to come.

When the previous owner was in charge, Washington made a number of disastrous choices, this being just one of them. After Cousins left, the team was dealt a series of bad quarterback trades that included disastrous trades for Carson Wentz, careless free-agent signings, and mid-level draft selections that ultimately backfired. That’s why it wasn’t shocking to see the Commanders fade into football obscurity.

Adam Peters, the new general manager, had not intended to make these crucial errors. Despite having the second pick, he declined several massive trade offers from other teams in order to drop down. After focusing on Daniels, the Commanders were certain that he was the right person to restore this legendary organization to its former glory. Consequently, this will provide the front-office executive the opportunity to bolster other positions on the depth chart by utilizing a talented signal-caller on a rookie contract.

Twenty-four games remain in Washington’s regular season as of this writing. Daniels’ historical beginnings and quick ascent, however, make it impossible to ignore the fact that the Commanders are dealing with something unique. Things are finally improving after years of utter failure following Cousins’ exit.

Unless fans go back more than the previous 20 years, nobody is reflecting on the past with much nostalgia. It’s time for this fan base to go forward with a clear goal in mind and the conviction that, with Daniels at the helm, the Commanders might finally return to the NFL’s top table.

Should that occur, Washington’s poor management of Cousins’ deal will be a thing of the past.

Commanders RB Skips Their Second Consecutive Practice.

One of the unexpected developments in the early going of the 2024 NFL season is the Washington Commanders. After losing their season opener, they have won three in a row. Now that they are 3-1, the club has more confidence thanks to the addition of rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels.

The team has also traveled for its last two games; in Week 5, they will welcome the Cleveland Browns at home. Washington would match their win total from their 4-13 campaign from the previous year if they prevailed.

Throughout the week, prioritizing getting healthy and preparing for the Browns will be key for the Commanders. Compared to Wednesday, their injury report on Thursday is far more optimistic. This is how it transpired:

DNP:

WR Noah Brown’s knee, groin, and RB Brian Robinson Jr.

LP:

G Ankle of Nick Allegretti
Shin S Tyler Owens, smile S Percy Butler
According to a prior extensive report, Washington is becoming somewhat healthy before the game. Regretfully, due to a knee injury, Brian Robinson Jr. was unable to participate in another practice until Austin Ekeler returned fully.

When both running backs can play together, the running back position becomes a strength. Nevertheless, Daniels is a fantastic dual-threat quarterback that keeps defenders off balance, so they will continue to see plenty of production from the position.

The state of Washington’s health is generally improving. However, the club would suffer if wide receiver Noah Brown and Robinson Jr. were absent.

It’s possible that the Browns will be shorthanded and missing some key players as well, so the Commanders will need to take care of business at home. They’ve progressed so much in 2024 that they were able to tie their 2023 win total with one additional triumph.