OT: 2024 Washington Commanders thread: change we can believe in!

[CapitalsCupReality]

The more I’ve dug into this years FAs the more I’m convinced their primary target should be Chris Godwin. He’s a run blocking slot receiver who can get open downfield and was graded out Top 10 overall WR. Only red flag is injury history.

As much as I love Higgins he doesn’t fit KKs offense.

Ronnie Stanley at T and maybe an edge rusher via trade…

Don’t the best coaches build systems around their weapons, not the reverse? (I have very little opinion on Higgins either way, I just know JD needs weapons).

 

[DWGie26]

I love tee Higgins. He goes across the middle. Terry is best tearing the top off. Higgins frees that up because he is a load to handle in the middle. And he can go deep.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Congrats Josh Allen…..wow….

 

[Ajax1995]

Congrats Josh Allen…..wow….

Well deserved.

 

[John Price]

 

[g00n]

No shit!

Right? It says something. Maybe WFT can't get a total near-MVP gamebreaking stud like Barkley (anymore...what a miss) but that ONE position probably decided the game more than anything else.

So "we're not one piece away" may not be that accurate. If PHI are running Gainwell all game long, do we still lose? If they have Gainwell and we have Barkley what's the result?

Hell, PHI got SEVEN f***ing rushing TDs and one pass TD, a 4yder to Brown. To me that says DL and LBs need the most attention, despite what we've thought about the secondary. Granted, Barkley and Hurts accounted for 6 of those TDs and they're incredibly hard to stop for anyone, but 6 is way way too much.

Which still means to me what I said before...get a banger, elite talent RB and shore up that DL especially up the middle. With MG adding to that line and JD doing his thing you have a chance to repeat a deep playoff run next year.

Remember when I said earlier in the season the WR2 needs may have changed compared to preseason because JD was showing how good he is, and makes all his WRs better like Brady used to? I caught some shit for that but it sure seemed like everyone below Terry turned into a kind of WR2.5...not elite WR1-2 level but good enough for a WR2 rotation.

Would still be nice to have another really solid deep threat WR2 to just scare the piss out of defenses and make safeties choose a side of the field, though.

 

[ynotcaps]

Right? It says something. Maybe WFT can't get a total near-MVP gamebreaking stud like Barkley (anymore...what a miss) but that ONE position probably decided the game more than anything else.

So "we're not one piece away" may not be that accurate. If PHI are running Gainwell all game long, do we still lose? If they have Gainwell and we have Barkley what's the result?

Hell, PHI got SEVEN f***ing rushing TDs and one pass TD, a 4yder to Brown. To me that says DL and LBs need the most attention, despite what we've thought about the secondary. Granted, Barkley and Hurts accounted for 6 of those TDs and they're incredibly hard to stop for anyone, but 6 is way way too much.

Which still means to me what I said before...get a banger, elite talent RB and shore up that DL especially up the middle. With MG adding to that line and JD doing his thing you have a chance to repeat a deep playoff run next year.

Remember when I said earlier in the season the WR2 needs may have changed compared to preseason because JD was showing how good he is, and makes all his WRs better like Brady used to? I caught some shit for that but it sure seemed like everyone below Terry turned into a kind of WR2.5...not elite WR1-2 level but good enough for a WR2 rotation.

Would still be nice to have another really solid deep threat WR2 to just scare the piss out of defenses and make safeties choose a side of the field, though.

I think we also have to remember that we gave them the ball 4 times on turnovers, 3 of which were when the game was still in play, and all of which led to PHI TDs.

It would be one thing if they were all or mostly INTs and our QB was prone to throwing INTs -- that's a harder battle to fight and correct. But the first 3 were all fumbles, which are essentially 50-50 balls once they hit the ground, and all committed by skill position guys, who we basically all agree that the team needs to improve, though we lack consensus on the "who."

You can game out for yourself what happens if we recover one, two or all 3 of those fumbles. (Or if none of them happened in the first place.) Completely different game flow. If we're not chasing the game, maybe the INT doesn't happen. Or maybe it does earlier, with the game in doubt, who knows? But it's a competitive game, and one we might even be leading going into the 4th/end of game.

Long way of saying: we're not 32 points worse than PHI walking onto the field.

Barkly and some good draft picks and targeted FA additions turned PHI around in one year from the sad-sack end they had to '23. Much like JD, some other good draft picks and targeted FA additions turned us around in one year from the sad-sack franchise we've been since back when I had just the one chin.

AP and his team authored that, and they have MORE going for them this year: still a ton of cap space, but the most important role filled along with 2 net-new CBs who are a vast improvement over the dreck that was the '23 group, a bona fide stud LB, a developing OT, a coaching staff that has demonstrated an excellent proof-of-concept, and a culture and an aura that we're hearing is a factor for FAs looking for a new home.

Going into last off-season, the only one of those we had going for us was cap space.

If they use draft picks in trade to fill a DE spot, OK, then the cap space is going to be what we use to fill other needs (WR? OT? CB?) If we keep the picks, we look to fill one or 2 starting roles with those (DE? WR? CB?) a couple more contributors (RB? DT? OL?), and the cap space is used to bring another starter or 2 (Stanley? WR?)

There are many ways to 'Skin a Bird.

In AP I trust.

 

[Bananas]

I think we also have to remember that we gave them the ball 4 times on turnovers, 3 of which were when the game was still in play, and all of which led to PHI TDs.

It would be one thing if they were all or mostly INTs and our QB was prone to throwing INTs -- that's a harder battle to fight and correct. But the first 3 were all fumbles, which are essentially 50-50 balls once they hit the ground, and all committed by skill position guys, who we basically all agree that the team needs to improve, though we lack consensus on the "who."

You can game out for yourself what happens if we recover one, two or all 3 of those fumbles. (Or if none of them happened in the first place.) Completely different game flow. If we're not chasing the game, maybe the INT doesn't happen. Or maybe it does earlier, with the game in doubt, who knows? But it's a competitive game, and one we might even be leading going into the 4th/end of game.

Long way of saying: we're not 32 points worse than PHI walking onto the field.

Barkly and some good draft picks and targeted FA additions turned PHI around in one year from the sad-sack end they had to '23. Much like JD, some other good draft picks and targeted FA additions turned us around in one year from the sad-sack franchise we've been since back when I had just the one chin.

AP and his team authored that, and they have MORE going for them this year: still a ton of cap space, but the most important role filled along with 2 net-new CBs who are a vast improvement over the dreck that was the '23 group, a bona fide stud LB, a developing OT, a coaching staff that has demonstrated an excellent proof-of-concept, and a culture and an aura that we're hearing is a factor for FAs looking for a new home.

Going into last off-season, the only one of those we had going for us was cap space.

If they use draft picks in trade to fill a DE spot, OK, then the cap space is going to be what we use to fill other needs (WR? OT? CB?) If we keep the picks, we look to fill one or 2 starting roles with those (DE? WR? CB?) a couple more contributors (RB? DT? OL?), and the cap space is used to bring another starter or 2 (Stanley? WR?)

There are many ways to 'Skin a Bird.

In AP I trust.

Dude we had way, way more draft capital plus cap space. We could have traded down from 2nd overall and gotten 3 first rounders plus traded up from our two second rounders to get 2 more. We had 5 first round picks worth of capital. This year we have 29OA and don’t pick again until the late 50s. It’s a gigantic issue.

They don’t have the juice left to trade multiple picks from this years draft class unless Peters wants to build the entire team through FA and trades. If he does that we’ll have a weak core roster for years as soon as our vets age out. It’s a flimsy build if you zoom out long term. It’s the big problem with trading for Lattimore at the deadline and making the Championship Game.

This offseason would be much more challenging than last year had we not struck gold with Daniels and the coaching staff. The good news is we might find deals since we’re on the map again. I truly don’t believe trading multiple picks for one player is in the cards though.