When NFL.com's Eric Edholm joined the Sports Junkies on Thursday, he had some good news: even with a quarterback question, there is reason to be optimistic about the Commanders' chances in 2023.
"Absolutely. I mean, we saw what the Giants did last year in this division, so I could see the Commanders, especially with that defense and those playmakers, there's some optimism there," Edholm said. "Like you said, Ron Rivera is in a flashpoint season, he either wins and saves his job or, assuming new ownership gets approved and all that stuff gets finalized, the chances of a new coach would be pretty high if anything south of, I don't know, 9-8 happens? I don't know what record they need to have to save his job, but yeah, there's optimism."
Edholm mentioned the elephant in the room that is Sam Howell's lack of experience – "a wide receiver has to have someone to get him the ball," he joked – but the defense could carry the Commanders pretty far is the offense is anything above functional.
"Even with the tough competition, I can't wait to see what that defense can do; I think the Forbes pick in general was so fascinating for Jack Del Rio, and I really like the kid," Edholm said. "Maybe they're a little better than people think and, and it's gonna come down obviously to what Sam and Jacoby and those guys can do at quarterback."
Despite all the wonder and worry, Edholm is optimistic on that front.
"I liked him, and thought he evolved his game in college. When he had to, he became a runner last year, and he changed the way he attacked defenses," Edholm said. "He's a young guy. I mean and the fact that he was picked in the fifth round seemed to kind of push everybody down on him – now he's a small guy, and he's not the most skilled guy, but I don't know; his deep ball touch and, you know, a little bit of creativity in his game…I wouldn't be shocked if he surprised a little bit."
And if the Commanders need another offensive weapon – would Dalvin Cook be a fit?
"It's interesting, I hadn't thought of Washington as a possibility; if he's been mentioned there, I apologize, I haven't seen that, but I think at this point, pretty much every free agent running back is looking for the best situations and then hoping for some kind of deal where, if they're not going to get the guaranteed money, at least some sort of incentive-based one-year deal," Edholm said. "Maybe it's based on touchdowns if you're Zeke Elliott, or based on yards from scrimmage if you're Cook."
Cook is a big name, yes, but like everyone else with a big name, there are some concerns.
"Last year was the first healthy season in the NFL, and there's some other factors there. I think he certainly wants a lot of money," Edholm said. "And then, the question would be, does he feel like he has enough opportunities in Washington? They have Brian Robinson and Antonio Gibson and drafted Chris Rodriguez and it was a little bit later. The options are limited, and he's already turned down one deal that we know of reportedly from Miami, which is pretty crowded situation there, but you figure he would be the guy. So it's hard to really know. We've heard teams sniffing around, maybe one feels like they can get in cheap and might come out of the woodwork a little bit."
Take a listen to Edholm's entire appearance – which also includes thoughts on the first-round rookie quarterbacks, Saquon Barkley's contract situation, and the Jets on Hard Knocks – above!
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