Commanders News: Ron Rivera, Carson Wentz, Curtis Samuel and Sam Howell

Commanders' confidence in Curtis Samuel

The Washington Commanders are keen to approach with caution where Curtis Samuel is concerned this offseason. While the do-it-all wide receiver could thrive within Eric Bieniemy's offense in 2023, head coach Ron Rivera knows all about his chequered injury history stemming from his time at the Carolina Panthers. Therefore, putting too much on his plate unnecessarily is just asking for trouble.

There is also a lot on the line personally for Samuel when the regular season arrives. He is heading into a contract year and must show out in no uncertain terms to get another big payday with the likes of Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson also set to generate their fair share of targets.

Having such a versatile weapon represents a luxury Bieniemy is unlikely to waste. Expect Samuel to line up almost anywhere at times - including as a backfield option - something that propelled many unheralded players to stardom during the play-caller's time with the Kansas City Chiefs.

When discussing Samuel's status, Rivera stated via Sports Illustrated that it's about maintaining the player's health at this stage. When the time comes for more demands at Washington's training camp, the plan could alter slightly.

"He worked through a couple of the tweaks and stuff he had and just feeling that we're feeling pretty good about what he's done. So, we've kind of tried to be a little more maintenance than anything else. He'll do a lot of the warmup stuff and then we'll just settle him down."

- Ron Rivera via Sports Illustrated

Samuel has a chance to put up career numbers with Bieniemy calling the shots. Although much will also depend on whether quarterback Sam Howell lives up to his end of the bargain.

This brings us to our next topic.