BMitch & Finlay have been live in Ashburn for Commanders camp the last two days, and on Wednesday afternoon (and played on Thursday) JP caught up with Pro Bowler Jeremy Reaves – who doesn’t want to be introduced by that modifier anymore?
“That was a thing last year, but that doesn’t matter this year – I’m not a Pro Bowler now, I have to do it again to get that title,” Reaves said. “It’s a new year, we’ve moved past it, so we have to go back out there and do it again.”
Of course, he couldn’t get away from the emotional video where Ron Rivera made him aware he had made the Pro Bowl, and he enjoyed that the event itself, which gave him a taste of success…but as he said, it’s ‘now time to lace ‘em up and do it again.’
He’ll do so for a new owner this year, and while Reaves has been in DC since 2018 and been a Redskin, a Washington Football Teamer, and now a Commander – but the biggest difference he’s noticed has been just in the few days since Josh Harris and company have taken over ownership of the team.
“It’s a lot of excitement that’s built up now – Sept. 10 is going to be rocking at the stadium, and there was a lot of response to my Tweet about that,” Reaves said. “There’s just some new excitement around the area about what’s to come, and that’s what you want. You talk about home field advantage, you want that atmosphere that distracts other teams. I’m pumped up and I know it’ll be a lot of fun.”
Even players who have only been in DC for a year or two understand what’s different under new ownership and the magnitude of the situation, according to Reaves, especially those who have played elsewhere, but everyone’s aware of the atmosphere around the team.
And that includes the setup at Commanders Park, which is already much more fan-friendly than it was in the past.
“It looks very different around here – I pulled into the gate the first day back and was like, man, they’ve got everything set up!” Reaves laughed. “Coming out here for conditioning and seeing everything, it’s exciting, because you know what it’s going to be like with the fans out here. It’s going to be like a game.”
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That’s going to include maybe 10,000 tickets for Saturday’s “Back to Football” day event, which Reaves thinks is a harbinger of what’s to come.
“That’s just the excitement of what’s to come this year – we have the hype and a lot of people looking at what’s going to happen with the team,” Reaves said. “As a player, the only stability side we see is coaching, and our coaches have been here for a few years, so we focus on football – but this is something.”
He wouldn’t reveal his goals for 2023 to Finlay, saying ‘you write down what you want to accomplish and then go do it, but talking about it means nothing if you don’t go out and do it.’ But, it may not come quickly, as he knows.
“In 2019, I wrote down that I wanted to make a Pro Bowl, and fast forward a few years, it happened,” Reaves said. “It’s a testament to the fact that it may not happen when you want to, but you just keep working hard and keep the faith, good things will come.”
Perhaps one of Reaves’ 2023 goals is more snaps on defense, as he made the Pro Bowl last year as a special teamer but would love to do so
“That faith in myself has never wavered, I know what I’m capable of on defense,” Reaves said. “I’ve been labeled as a special teamer, but whatever you ask me to do, I’m going to do it to my highest level. Now is the time you win and lose jobs, so that’s on the table for sure.”
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And if he does, he’ll be playing between two rookies in Emmanuel Forbes and Quan Martin who have already impressed him this offseason.
“Very intelligent players, very cerebral. Quan kind of reminds me of Kam (Curl) when Kam came in – you don’t have to talk to him very much, he picks things up quickly, which is tough as a rookie, and we can play off of each other with an unsaid understanding,” Reaves said. “Emmanuel, same thing, he’s picked things up very well. Very sticky in coverage, long guy that can put hands on you but can also run. Those two, I’ve been very impressed with them – I haven’t seen guys come in so well-prepared since Kam, and they’re going to contribute immediately and be good.”
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