Commanders News: Ron Rivera, Sam Howell, Chase Young and Jason Wright
By Dean Jones
Which Washington Commanders news stories are hitting the headlines as the team's first open training camp practice takes place today?
What a joy it was to see such a vibrant atmosphere as Washington Commanders players and coaches participated in their opening training camp session of the summer. Something that should increase further later today when fans descend on Ashburn for the first open practice since Josh Harris' ownership group bought the franchise for $6.05 billion.
Among the Commanders' stories causing debate recently include Sam Howell's mindset, Ron Rivera's positivity, more Chase Young trade praise, and Jason Wright on the renewed sense of purpose across the organization.
Let's delve into each topic in more detail.
Commanders president Jason Wright on culture shift
Not only has Josh Harris and his team wasted no time in making their presence felt across the Washington Commanders, but they've also galvanized almost everyone associated with the franchise. Dan Snyder's tyrannical reign of incompetence is already forgotten, which could lead to huge changes in the way things are approached if team president Jason Wright's comments to John Keim of ESPN are any indication.
"When I took this job … our whole focus was culture at the beginning. I mean, we've turned over 85% of the organization. You can have a peak, a quick peak of business performance, but it will not be sustained unless you have healthy organizational culture underneath -- people who are treated well. You'll see more and more local vendors, especially black-owned, brown-owned, women-owned and veteran-owned businesses providing food. I'll say what Josh [Harris] said. And that's that … the biggest thing is making sure that we are listening to the fans and we are moving on the things that the fans care about."
- Jason Wright via ESPN
Building back the culture that made the Commanders' franchise so revered once upon a time is essential. Much has been made of the toxic environment Snyder oversaw that eventually led to his demise, which cast the organization in a terrible light and also cost him $60 million heading out of the door.
Wright will be part of the initial place to restore faith among the fanbase. But he'll need to impress Harris' group to get a prolonged stay in the role.