Reasons to be excited and concerned about the 2022 Commanders

September is here. Praise be to (insert your favorite deity, celebrity, or spirit animal here). After months of random speculation, Washington Commanders fans will no longer need to endure “PORPOSED TRADE BRINGS FORMER PRO BOWLER TO COMMS” or “SEE WHO STATGURUPOUGHKEEPSIE RATES AS DC’S 3RD BEST TE – the articles that have filled out feeds in the dead days since the draft. (Full disclosure – I’ve written a few of those myself.)

But now, at long last, we actually know the roster. We have seen the new guys in action. We have seen how the pieces might fit. We have a better sense of injuries. Sure, a lot will change once the season begins, but at least we are forming opinions based on observation, instead of on speculation.

So, here’s what I have observed so far. Here’s what I am most excited about, and what I am most concerned about as the Washington Commanders head into the 2022 season.

Special Teams – Concerned

I have been concerned about the special teams from the moment Washington allowed DeAndre Carter to walk. I can’t for the life of me understand why Washington would pass on him, only to bring in Alex Erickson at a savings of about $100,000. I am not too surprised Erickson didn’t stick, because Dax Milne seems capable of doing everything the vet could do, with a higher upside and cheaper price tag. But  Carter provided professional kick and punt returning in 2021 – something the Washington Commanders haven’t had in many years. Some combination of Milne and another returner may be able to do that in 2022, but the remains to be seen.

Now you throw in Joey Slye’s inconsistent pre-season and I begin to get really worried.

Tres Way will be fine – again – and the addition of Percy Butler, along with players like Cam Sims, Jeremy Reaves, Milo Eifler, and Christian Holmes – should make the coverage teams respectable, but Washington’s special teams remain iffy. There has been a trend in the league over the past few years – amongst the better special teams – to kickoff high and short, and pin the offense inside the 20, but Washington seems content to simply let Slye kick through the end zone and give up the 25.

We’ll see if anything changes as the season progresses.

Secondary – Excited

Washington’s secondary has been on a long slow build toward respectability for several years now. It began with bringing Kendall Fuller back. Kam Curl’s emergence has been crucial. They have filled in with some other pieces. To be clear, a lot of the secondary’s effectiveness will depend on how good the pass rush is (more on that soon), but I am more optimistic about the talent in the secondary this season than I have been in recent years.

I am sad to see Danny Johnson go. I have always liked DJ. He is a tough, smart player. He may well be the best zone corner the team has had in recent years. But he is also a limited athlete, and the move from him to bigger, faster players like Homes and Benjamin St-Juste, hints at a more aggressive, man-oriented approach, which I think will ultimately suit this talent better.

The Washington Commanders only have four cornerbacks on the roster as of this writing, and that has some people concerned. Not me. The four they have are all talented. Several of the safeties — like Bobby McCain and Jeremy Reaves — have played corner when needed. And I have a feeling that Danny Johnson, or Corn Elder (and maybe both) will be back at some point to provide deeper depth.

I also think that Darrick Forrest might be an emerging star might be an emerging star, and that by next season, Forrest and Curl could form one of the best young safety tandems in the league.

Pass Rush – Concerned

Chase Young is out at least four weeks. There’s a good chance he is out longer. Some pundits and fans alike have already begun to turn on him, calling him overrated. Not me. I think when healthy, he will be an elite pass rusher.

But he is not healthy. And no matter the pedigree of the rest of the defensive line, they simply have not generated enough consistent pressure to control games from the defensive side of the ball.

Montez Sweat should continue to be a strong pass rusher and swatter of low throws. The four primary interior linemen should continue to generate decent push in the middle. But without Young, who is going to make opposing QBs run for their lives? Maybe one of the young guys, like Shaka Toney, will emerge. Maybe Jack Del Rio can scheme some creative stunts and blitzes, although his designs last year instill little confidence in that.

Washington’s wretched 3rd down defense merits its own “Concerned” section here, and that’s not simply a reflection of inconsistent pass rush. Linebackers failing to stop ball carriers on 3rd and 4 – secondary confusion allowing open receivers on 3rd and 8 – we’ve seen too much of all that. But it all begins with pass pressure. It is supposed to be a strength of this team. But on the field, it has not been.

Offensive Line – Excited

Two years ago, when trying to understand how that Washington team could be contention for the NFC East, I wrote that Washington’s no-name offensive line was the best in the division. Part of that had to do with devastating injuries to both Dallas and Philly, and part had to do with Dave Gettelman’s cockeyed sense of what makes for a good lineman. But most of it had to do with some tough players and one great position coach.

John Matsko has genuine talent to work with this season, and from one through eight, this shapes up to be a good O line. The player I am most excited about is Saadhiq Charles.

When he was drafted, we all drooled over a physically gifted left tackle from a prestigious SEC program. Obviously, this guy could play, right?

We then had to take a step back and realize that Charles was a 20 year-old young man with one solid year of play at a high level in college. It would have been insane to assume that he could step onto the field against Brandon Graham and Leonard Williams and hold his own.

Then we learned his arm length made him profile better at guard. Then he got hurt, two plays into his NFL career. Things did no look good.

But Charles has grown, and though the sample size is still too small, he looks like a true pro now. And he could be special.

Add in Wes Schweitzer and Cornelius Lucas – two of the very best back-ups in the league – and this is a line to get excited about.

Which is good, because…

Trai Turner – Concerned

Trai Turner is supposed to lock down the left guard position. Due to his youth, his past success, and his relationship with Ron Rivera, Turner has been rumored to be coming to Washington – oh, it seems like since the days of Jim Zorn. They finally inked him this off-season.

And we have yet to see him.

Turner had three injury-plagued years between 2018-2020, but he was healthy last year. Still, Pittsburgh showed no interest in re-signing him. There is a pretty big question out there about what he has left to offer, and until we see him on the field, that question will remain.

Offensive lines need cohesion and consistency and that only comes through repetition. Fortunately, with Charles and Scwheitzer available, the Washington Commanders have other places to turn should Turner not work out.

(ADDENDUM – Cole Turner? Will we ever see him? Maybe we should avoid Turners in the future. Just a thought, Scott.)

Quarterbacks – Bit of Both

If quarterback play were all that mattered in the NFL, the teams with the best quarterbacks would always end up in the playoffs, and the teams with the true elites would always win the Super Bowl. That doesn’t happen, though the league seems determined to legislate the game into a pass-happy, touch football product in which the Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen will dazzle us with splash play after splash play.

At least as of 2022, you still need a very good team and a very good quarterback to make a run in the NFL. The three quarterbacks currently on the Washington Commanders roster constitute the most positional talent this team had had since the early days of RGIII and Captain Kirk.

Carson Wentz and Sam Howell both have plus arms and plus movement ability. Taylor Heinicke, whose arm I have constantly criticized in these columns, is ideally suited to be a quality backup in the league. If these players step up, this team takes a major step forward.

But there are questions about all of them. Wentz’s psyche, Heinicke’s arm, Howell’s inexperience. I don’t think anyone really knows what to expect from Washington’s quarterbacks this season. There is enormous pressure on Scott Turner to put them in positions to succeed, and on Ken Zampese, to develop his players. Zampese has been around forever, but his history in Cincinnati was so-so. He was a much better coach when he had a healthy Carson Palmer. Go figure.

There are plenty of other things that both have me excited and have me reaching for the Dramamine. More on that another time. Maybe after the Jacksonville game, in which we begin to get definitive to answers about how excited or nervous we ought to be about the 2022 Washington Commanders.