It took one offseason following the reign of Ron Rivera as the head coach and decision-maker for the Washington Commanders for the team to look almost completely different.
On top of the mostly brand new coaching staff led by new head man Dan Quinn the Commanders have a more traditional general manager arrangement with Adam Peters coming from the San Francisco 49ers and no fewer than 11 potential new starters joining the roster along with several other veterans who will provide fresh depth for the team.
Simply put, Washington is not going to look anywhere near what it did the last time we saw it on the field, and the young talent the team is nurturing through the changes could be a catalyst for growing success in the near and longterm future.
"Washington is boosted significantly by this year's draft, and that starts with the No. 2 overall pick and 2023 Heisman Trophy winner (quarterback Jayden) Daniels (23 years old) at quarterback..."Aaron Schatz, ESPN
"Washington is boosted significantly by this year's draft, and that starts with the No. 2 overall pick and 2023 Heisman Trophy winner (quarterback Jayden) Daniels (23 years old) at quarterback, wrote ESPN's Aaron Schatz while ranking the Commanders 18th in the NFL when looking at players 25 years old and under. "The Commanders also had three second-round picks this year. Defensive tackle Jer'Zhan Newton and tight end Ben Sinnott are both 22, while nickelback Mike Sainristil is 23. As for players who were in Washington last year, wide receiver Jahan Dotson is 24, although his reputation is better than his performance in the ESPN receiver tracking metrics, where he finished near the bottom of the league. Another young player who struggled in advanced metrics is cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr. Last year's first-round pick was one of the worst cornerbacks in the league, with only 38 tackles and one interception. However, he's just 23, and many top corners take two or three years to develop."
If this youth ranking is any sign of the future then the NFC East Division could see a changing of the guard soon. The New York Giants ranked 13th in the league acording to Schatz when looking at young talent, while the Dallas Cowboys came in 21st and the Philadelphia Eagles rounded out the division at No. 29.
A good young nucleus doesn't guarantee future success, of course, but if molded correctly and built around effectively then young Washington players like Daniels could usher in a course change for the NFC East and the NFL.
While the division hasn't seen a repeat champion in 17 seasons the Cowboys or Eagles have won seven of the last 10 with the Commanders taking the other three. The Giants haven't won since 2011.
