5 bold moves Commanders made during the 2024 offseason

Commanders hired Bobby Johnson

Adam Peters’ hiring of Dan Quinn was not the flash move that many fans hoped for. But it was well-regarded across the league.

The staff Quinn assembled, with Kliff Kingsbury, Joe Whitt Jr., and Larry Izzo as primary coordinators, has been equally praised. The Washington Commanders have two former head coaches on his staff, as well as several former professional coordinators.

One real head-scratcher was the hiring of Bobby Johnson to handle the offensive line. This has been a real trouble spot for Washington since the magical 2020 season when the protection stayed healthy and overachieved.

Since then, both John Matsko and his replacement Travelle Wharton struggled mightily to develop any young players into quality linemen. Coming into 2024, the Commanders offensive line will have at least three new starters and several first and second-year players will be in the mix for serious playing time.

Building a cohesive line and developing young players will be crucial. Especially if they want rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels to thrive immediately.

Fans of the New York Giants will tell you Johnson failed at that task over the past few seasons. He has a wealth of experience in the NFL. But in New York, he presided over a beleaguered line that had a lot of high draft picks and little success to show for it.

The regression of right tackle Evan Neal from his first to his second season was particularly alarming. The former first-round pick has all the physical tools, but the correct progress didn't arrive in 2023 under Johnson's guidance.

We may never know what other options Peters considered or who was realistically available. Had he been able to pry a talented assistant like Corey Matthaei away from the Kansas City Chiefs, that might have been a more exciting move for the Commanders.

Despite the concerns, Peters and Quinn seem confident that Johnson is the man for the job despite his recent track record. Time will tell.