The Washington Commanders have two games left to navigate before their regular-season engagements conclude. And after how things have unfolded throughout the campaign, fans won't exactly be shedding tears when the final down is played.
Things have gone completely off the rails. The Commanders went from an NFC Championship game appearance to losing 11 games, which could become 13 if they cannot beat the Dallas Cowboys or Philadelphia Eagles in their final two contests.
It's been an unmitigated disaster from start to finish. Even though the injury problems haven't aided their cause, this squad wasn't as far along as fans initially thought.
That's the long and short of it, and general manager Adam Peters should be all too aware of that fact before embarking on his third — arguably, his most important — recruitment period at the helm.
Fans are demanding action. Whatever Peters attempted to accomplish this season hasn't worked. Things would look even worse if head coach Dan Quinn hadn't managed to keep the locker room together. He's made plenty of mistakes, too, so nothing but vast alterations and yet another strategy shift will do next spring.
With this in mind, here are seven Commanders players who are rapidly running out of time to save their jobs.
Commanders players who are running out of time to save their jobs
Deebo Samuel Sr. - Commanders WR
Deebo Samuel Sr. is a good player. The Washington Commanders did well to get the versatile wide receiver for a fifth-round pick. But considering the amount of money he will want on his next deal, things are hanging in the balance.
If Samuel were willing to accept an incentive package to stay, it's a no-brainer. That's unlikely to be the case, and a recent market projection of $20 million per season is going to be enough to make general manager Adam Peters think twice.
The Commanders have desperate needs across the board. They already have plenty of money committed to Terry McLaurin. Samuel is also on the wrong side of 30 now, and one only has to look at how Peters handled the Ohio State product's contract extension earlier this year to see how he might feel about that.
A strong finish to the campaign would boost Samuel's chances. Unfortunately, mitigating circumstances outside of his control are working against the former South Carolina standout.
With Marcus Mariota unlikely to feature, the Commanders will be rolling with either Josh Johnson or Jeff Driskel under center. That's not going to strike fear into any defense, and it only makes things more difficult for Samuel to make a good impression before a decision on his future is made.