Commanders News: Chase Young’s option, Jeff Bezos and roster building

Ron Rivera on Commanders’ roster building

One thing that came across during Ron Rivera‘s comments at the NFL owners’ meetings was how happy the head coach appears with the current roster build going on within the Washington Commanders. Perhaps a strange thing to say entering Year 4 of his tenure, but it was telling nonetheless.

Rivera’s shifted the culture in this regard since joining the Commanders. There’s a focus on drafting and rewarding rather than taking big gambles in free agency, which became synonymous with previous regimes and came without much success.

When probed about clarification on his comments by Pete Hailey of NBC Sports Washington, Rivera went a little deeper into the process. This centered around the quarterback expenditure more than anything else, which is currently minuscule compared to others around the league looking to make the postseason.

"“The roster build is really building around the quarterback situation. Having a rookie quarterback’s salary and with that being able to spread some money around more than one or two guys. While we didn’t sign anyone from the higher echelons, we were in a high tier and we’re excited about those guys. We’ve got a good number to build around at quarterback and that’s what I meant by that.”"

This is another indicator as to why there was no interest in Lamar Jackson. While it’s normally the more traditional method of molding a contender, it’s whether or not the Commanders have the right guy in Sam Howell that remains the biggest conundrum.

If Howell flops, it’ll be Rivera’s last season in Washington. That’s the long and short of it.