When the Washington Commanders' new ownership group officially – and finally – takes control of the franchise, what are the top three priorities they need to address right away?
Chris Russell has three top priorities for the new owners, likely Josh Harris, Mitchell Rales, Magic Johnson and company, to execute this season: 1) Spend a month plus in the building at Ashburn to take the temperature of the franchise and learn the culture before firing anyone. Russell said they have to know what is good and bad about the organization and what might work before making changes. "Find out who you are at your core," he said.
2) The new stadium must be solved. They need to start getting "meaningful, significant progress" on making sure the franchise has a place to call home. A priority so important, Russell put it at 1-A, more than two.
3) Ahead of deciding on the coach and general manager, which Russell said isn't feasible before the 2023 season, is for the new owners to establish an organizational philosophy and foster a completely new culture.
"Here's how we're gonna do things," Russell, speaking as the new Harris-led group, said. "We're gonna do things the right way. We're gonna be patient. We're gonna hire the right people. We're not gonna be high-risk takers, we're gonna be aggressive, but smartly aggressive.
"We're gonna be patient just like we were with the Philadelphia 76ers, just like we were with the New Jersey Devils."
Russell noted that his list doesn't have what many fans on social media have been clamoring for: a new name. That would have to wait as the NFL would likely keep the franchise from dropping the name Commanders for at least a few more years after re-branding in Feb. 2022.
"It's never going back to Redskins," Russell said. "But [for] many of you that is No. 1 on your list. Not all of you, but many."
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