Commanders News: Ron Rivera, Jonathan Allen, Sam Howell and Olumuyiwa Fashanu
By Dean Jones
Which Washington Commanders news stories are hitting the headlines as the dust settles on their heavy Week 13 loss against the Miami Dolphins?
Unrest and frustrations are threatening to boil over as the Washington Commanders stumble towards the end of their 2023 season. This is a team that looks devoid of inspiration or ideas, but there are still four games to get through before Josh Harris' ownership group makes some landmark changes to the staffing infrastructure.
For now, the Commanders are heading off on their bye week with far more questions than answers. While we wait for further developments, the stories accumulating column inches include Sam Howell's intent, Ron Rivera on the team's lack of growth, Jonathan Allen doubling down, and Washington selecting a franchise left tackle in Pro Football Focus' mock draft.
Let's delve into each topic in more detail.
Sam Howell on Terry McLaurin's involvement
Terry McLaurin's tongue-in-cheek statement about doing a lot of cardio after gaining zero receptions from three targets against the Miami Dolphins led to speculation of unhappiness. The wide receiver is having a down year by his usually high standards, which nobody associated with the Washington Commanders envisaged when Eric Bieniemy came on board to run the offense.
When discussing McLaurin's usage, quarterback Sam Howell admitted they have to make him the focal point more often via Ben Standig of The Athletic. But with four games left, the Commanders are running out of time.
"It's definitely not what we want to do coming into the game. I feel like we started to get all of our guys involved in the game today, and we just got to be better. You know [Terry McLaurin] is the best part of our offense and we got to find ways to get him the football; I've got to find ways to get him the football. Obviously, he had a few targets, but three targets are not enough for your best player. So, we just got to find more ways to get him involved."
- Sam Howell via X/Twitter
It'll be interesting to see what - if any - adjustments are made during the bye week. If McLaurin continues to be a non-factor, he might start looking at his future in Washington a little differently.