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Washington Football Team: Five observations at the halfway point

By Jacob Troutman

LANDOVER, MD - NOVEMBER 08: Chase Young #99 of the Washington Football Team plays against the New York Giants at FedExField on November 8, 2020 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - NOVEMBER 08: Chase Young #99 of the Washington Football Team plays against the New York Giants at FedExField on November 8, 2020 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) /
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LANDOVER, MARYLAND – SEPTEMBER 13: Head coach Ron Rivera (L) of the Washington Football Team and defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio celebrate in the closing seconds of their win against the Philadelphia Eagles in the second half at FedExField on September 13, 2020 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MARYLAND – SEPTEMBER 13: Head coach Ron Rivera (L) of the Washington Football Team and defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio celebrate in the closing seconds of their win against the Philadelphia Eagles in the second half at FedExField on September 13, 2020 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

5. The culture is actually damn good

Yes. I had to get one last jab in at Bruce Allen before he becomes old news in Ashburn. Unlike during the Bruce Allen tenure, there actually seems to be a solid foundation and culture being set. The trio of Ron Rivera, Kyle Smith, and newly-hired team president Jason Wright are already making progress.

The trio is much more transparent and honest. Jason Wright is active on Twitter. He also gives a weekly brief on the team’s official website. A very good change of pace from the opaque Bruce Allen.

Kyle Smith, the current Vice President of Player Personnel, should soon be offered the General Manager role very soon. He has been fantastic as an evaluator of talent, especially in the draft.

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Late round picks like Cole Holcomb, Jimmy Moreland, Kamren Curl, and James Smith-Williams are making impacts on the team. Kelvin Harmon is on the IR due to a torn ACL but he showed the ability to be a quality receiver in his rookie year. Undrafted free-agent wide receiver pickups Steven Sims and Cam Sims, although limited volume, show potential.

He seems to have hit home runs on back-to-back third-round picks in superstar Terry McLaurin and Antonio Gibson. Not to mention first-round picks Montez Sweat and Chase Young (granted Young wasn’t that hard). He’s a fantastic college talent evaluator and needs to be appointed as the GM immediately.

Ron Rivera is blunt and honest. No pulling punches with him, he is who he is. He will bench the second-year, first-round quarterback, Dwayne Haskins, if it means it is the best for his team. He will take the heat for it. No bowing to the owner from him. This is Ron Rivera’s team. Did I mention he has made these decisions while battling cancer?

I cannot mention culture and not mention the incredible comeback of Alex Smith. The now-starting quarterback of the Washington Football Team’s comeback story is incredible. The fact that starting quarterback and Alex Smith are said in the same sentence in 2020 is remarkable. His presence in the locker room is apparent.

With other leaders like Terry McLaurin, Brandon Scherff, Jonathan Allen, and Morgan Moses the culture is being shifted. Slowly, the Washington Football Team is beginning to look like a professional operation. By no means are they good yet, but the culture sure seems like it is headed in that direction.

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