Is Kevin Sheehan's optimism about the Commanders' 2024 NFL season outlook misguided?
"Why are you so optimistic about the changed roster?" Kevin Sheehan Show listener Jesse writes in about the Washington Commanders. "Not one of the free agents they signed were in demand. Most are just JAGs [just a guy]. I actually think the roster last year, with Curtis Samuel and Antonio Gibson on offense and Montez Sweat and Kendall Fuller on defense, was better. This is a long-haul play. I'm happy about what they've done. I like their draft, but this isn't a quick fix. Your optimism for a quick turnaround is misguided."
Sheehan calls that a good email, but disagreed with part of it as "it struck a nerve with him" as it relates to his belief that the Commanders of 2024 have a better roster than the 2023 squad that went out there and went 4-13.
"I'm not optimistic about this team this year simply based on the roster being better," Sheehan said. "I'm more optimistic about this team, because so much has changed. You've got a professional front office picking players, you've got a very experienced head coach and coaching staff, you've got players who have been brought in with experience, who have played well recently who are also entering those years where they are perhaps ready to play their best football.
"I think some of the players that were here last year didn't play well because it was a very toxic situation here last year. I like Jon Allen and Daron Payne and Terry McLaurin as players. I like Quan Martin, Sam Cosmi and others as players."
But the No. 1 reason for Sheehan being optimistic for the first time in forever: "I believe in the quarterback. And I believe that there's a chance, I have a hunch, that the quarterback is gonna play well and play well quickly," he said of No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels.
"But the bottom line is, I'm not in this to be a quick fix. I want this to be a long-haul sustained thing over time. I just think it may come sooner, that's a hunch that I have," he continued. "That I think they may end up being much more competitive this year than a lot of people do."
Sheehan points to something in the email about the roster that you could make the case – especially in the case of Sweat – that he would be a big upgrade on the current crop of defensive ends.
"I'm not gonna concede that defensively they are not as good as they were last year talent-wise, because I think [Frankie Luvu, Bobby Wagner and Jeremy Chinn] alone along with the prospect that [Mike] Sainristil is gonna be a playmaker and a significant contributor as a rookie, I still think you'd have a slight edge defensively," Sheehan said but admitted that Sweat and Fuller are better than the current players in their position.
And Sheehan believes Austin Ekeler can be a real contributor to this offense, and could replace Gibson, who he was a big fan of.
"The roster isn't massively better than it was last year," he said, "but I wanna take it and toss it. Because [last year] it was absolutely doomed before it began."
Pointing to Ron Rivera's infamous "I'm vindicated. Send me my Super Bowl ring" quote for when he is gone.
"I mean how delusional was Ron when he said that, but he was already talking about his lack of presence as the head coach beyond 2023," Sheehan said. "There's certainly reason to believe that the Eric Bieniemy hire was a favor done to his friend and for his friend Andy Reid. Nobody in the league wanted this guy, including Andy Reid... the whole season was doomed. They had some decent players on the team last year. It was not a roster completely depleted of talent."
So, needless to say, the change in head coach and coaching staff – and the front office, too – is a big-time improvement in Sheehan's eyes.
But, at the end of the day, this is all about the quarterback.
