3 potential losers from the Commanders 2023 offseason so far

Ron Rivera – Commanders HC

There was always going to be enormous pressure on head coach Ron Rivera in 2023. This will be his fourth with the Washington Commanders, so it’s about time the experienced figure’s plans started bearing fruit after an indifferent first three seasons that the helm.

It’s been far from easy for Rivera throughout the offseason. The ongoing sale saga has been a distraction the coach didn’t need, which has led to working almost with one hand tied behind his back until something is officially confirmed.

The term treading water was used by an NFL executive to describe the Commanders’ offseason when speaking with Mike Sando of The Athletic. It’s hard to argue otherwise, although Rivera has never been the biggest spender in free agency during his head coaching career.

If that wasn’t enough, when Dan Snyder does eventually sell up with more than $6 billion in his pocket, Rivera’s coaching seat becomes the hottest in football. That’s not altering his approach – not yet anyway – but it sends the margin for error to non-existent levels heading into the new campaign.

Rivera’s been around long enough to know what will happen if expectations aren’t met. If the worst does happen, the head coach will look back at an offseason of franchise flux as one of the primary factors behind his demise.