4 silent assassins on the Washington Commanders in 2023
By Dean Jones
Which Washington Commanders players could emerge as silent assassins during what could be a franchise-changing 2023 season?
Things are finally looking up for the Washinton Commanders. After being a proverbial hostage to Dan Snyder's incompetence for so long, this month's vote to usher in the Josh Harris era comes with endless possibilities about how the franchise can progress both on and off the field in the coming years.
There is a lot of hard work ahead, to put it mildly. Harris is reportedly going to adopt a wait-and-see approach before making widespread changes, which puts a number of influential figures within the Commanders firmly under the microscope from the moment his group's $6.05 billion purchase gets formal league approval on July 20.
Washington has the talent to be competitive at the very least. But a situation could emerge where it all goes horribly wrong looking at the Commanders' schedule and the fact they reside within a highly competitive NFC East.
In order for increased expectations to be reached, these four Commanders players must become silent assassins in 2023.
Andrew Wylie - Commanders OT
When Andrew Wylie oped to reunite immediately with Eric Bieniemy elsewhere, it was seen as a decent bit of business by the Washington Commanders. One that could finally give the offensive line a productive bookend tackle tandem alongside veteran blindside presence Charles Leno Jr.
Wylie has his flaws, there's no getting away from that. But his exceptional performance against a stout Philadelphia Eagles defensive front played a significant role in the Kansas City Chiefs clinching another Super Bowl - form the Commanders hope he can bring to Washington consistently.
The former Eastern Michigan standout isn't going to blow anyone away with flamboyance. Wylie is a business-first character that leads by example, which could be exactly what the Commanders need at an important period in franchise history.