Commanders News: Sam Howell, Montez Sweat, Phidarian Mathis and Ron Rivera

Which Washington Commanders news stories are hitting the headlines as preparations continue for their Week 8 game against the Philadelphia Eagles?

Plenty of uncertainty surrounds the Washington Commanders following their cataclysmic loss at the New York Giants in Week 7. Ron Rivera is under increasing scrutiny with the team sitting at 3-4, with talk of potential outgoings before the trade deadline showing no signs of slowing down with just a few days remaining until the October 31 cut-off point.

There's also the small matter of taking on the Philadelphia Eagles this weekend. Until then, the stories causing conversation include Phidarian Mathis' progress, Sam Howell calling for togetherness, Ron Rivera on making adjustments, and Montez Sweat's future.

Let's delve into each topic in more detail.

Commanders' DT Phidarian Mathis nearing a return

Fans haven't seen much of Phidarian Mathis since the Washington Commanders made him their second-round selection in 2022. The formidable defensive tackle lasted just a few snaps during his rookie season before being placed on the shelf and an unfortunate complication before the current campaign landed on injured/reserve yet again.

It's been a torrid run of luck for Mathis so far, but there is now light at the end of the tunnel. The team confirmed that it had opened the former Alabama star's 21-day window to make a return to practice, which is a huge step in the right direction.

While expectations should be tempered regarding an immediate return to the lineup for Mathis, this represents a good sign that he's on the correct trajectory with a view to contributing at some stage later in the season. After such a frustrating period to begin his career, any reps would be a bonus for the Commanders at this point.

Commanders HC Ron Rivera's confidence

Ron Rivera has his back against the wall right now. Four losses in the last five games coupled with an indifferent first three years at the helm dictate as much, but the head coach is not ready to throw in the towel just yet despite speculation mounting about his long-term future with the Washington Commanders.

When discussing how things are currently unfolding, Rivera centered his thoughts on adjustments, the need for more alterations, and working hard collectively to get back on track via Sports Illustrated. The figurehead also remains confident everything will start clicking again soon.

"There's a bunch of things that need to go right for things to be even better. And a lot of them have gone right. There's a lot of things that are in place but there's a few other things that have to come into place, and those are things that we're working on, and we're going to correct, and we're going to work on and get better at. To come together and be a good football team, you've got to have a lot of things go right. And we've had several of them step into place, but we're not there yet, and we're going to continue to work, and hopefully, we'll get there very soon."

Ron Rivera via Sports Illustrated

This is the same old chatter from Rivera, but there's been no substance attached in recent weeks despite an impressive victory at the Atlanta Falcons. Talk is cheap - nothing but action will do moving forward.

Commanders QB Sam Howell's mindset

You'd have to be living under a rock to not know quarterback Sam Howell is on course to smash the single-season record for sacks against. Some of these have been on the former fifth-round selection out of North Carolina thanks to hesitancy and holding onto the football for too long, but the inept offensive line also needs to shoulder plenty of blame.

Eric Bieniemy is placing a lot of strain on the protection by implementing a pass-heavy scheme. Finding the right balance could take the pressure off, but Howell is calling for everyone to stick together in pursuit of achieving their goals based on comments via Washington's website.

"I think it just comes down to we're all in this together. We have a lot of conversations about what we feel like we need to do and obviously the sack issue is what it is and we're all trying to fix it and we're all trying to do everything we can. We're all trying to do our part. I think the first way to solve that is everyone has to acknowledge what they need to do better. I think we have that in our room and we have that in our offense and everyone's acknowledging different ways that we can help each other out."

Sam Howell via Commanders.com

This cannot continue for much longer. Howell is taking tremendous punishment and getting almost no time in the pocket to go through progressions. He's also in danger of getting seriously hurt or at least missing time if the same trend continues.

Commanders receive offer for Montez Sweat

Rumors are swirling about the Washington Commanders' potentially moving on some established figures before the upcoming 2023 trade deadline. While other names have been touted, these conversations have primarily centered on the defensive end duo of Montez Sweat and Chase Young.

Both players are out of contract in 2024 and it's hard to see how the Commanders could afford to keep both around. So getting something back in return for one of them seems like a realistic proposition with Washington sitting at 3-4 right now.

According to Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post, the Commanders have received one formal trade offer for Sweat. The actual deal wasn't disclosed, but the reporter also revealed that a formal approach for Young has yet to arrive.

When discussing the potential compensation either Young or Sweat could receive, Jordan Schultz from The Bleacher Report claimed that it might take a second or third-round pick to get any deal done. Of course, acquiring them also requires a lucrative contract extension thrown in for good measure.

This is a tricky situation for the Commanders. Young and Sweat are both playing high-level football and would be big losses, but the NFL is a business above all else, so there is more to consider than just production between the white lines.