With free agency in the rearview mirror and the NFL Draft coming down the pike, what kind of season can we expect from the Washington Commanders in year four of Ron Rivera's tenure?
"The ceiling is probably 10 wins or so, but I think the floor is higher," Eric Eager of football analysis site SumerSports said on The Kevin Sheehan Show on Wednesday. "As long as they don't get off to a 1-4 start again, which has been every single season it feels like, I think that their floor is pretty high."
"The defensive line's fantastic, offensive line's good enough, they have great skill position players – I think [Jahan] Dotson's gonna be a star for that team as is [Terry] McLaurin," Eager said. "I think the draft will be big... the draft is deep which is good for Washington... Eric Bieniemy coming in, that's gonna be the big test: how much of it in Kansas City was [Patrick] Mahomes? How much of it was Bieniemy? I think Bieniemy's a good thinker, I think he will be a plus here."
And despite the new offensive coordinator coming in, the Commanders have been telling the world this offseason are locked into last year's fifth-round pick Sam Howell and Jacoby Brissett battling it out at quarterback.
"Sam Howell was one of the favorites to be the first overall pick going into the 2021 season in college football," Eager said, adding that Howell got lost in the wash of the draft class and did a good job dealing with a reduced talent pool at North Carolina in his final season with the Tar Heels.
However, due to Howell's slight stature, there are "some limitations" that are going to arise that have to be worked around.
"He's on a rookie deal, you can build around him," Eager said, "and like I said, if you think about the ingredients, maybe offensive line they have to fortify a little bit there, but wide receiver, running back they're pretty good."
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With the news that teams had been calling the San Francisco 49ers about the availability of quarterback Trey Lance, Eager said a generous price would be two 2nd-round draft picks with the chances of the 49ers recouping a 1st-rounder unlikely.
Eager then gave his thoughts on the top quarterbacks in the 2023 NFL Draft CJ Stroud, Bryce Young, Anthony Richardson, Will Levis and Hendon Hooker.
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