Commanders News: Sam Howell, Ron Rivera, 2023 draft class and injury woes
By Dean Jones
Which Washington Commanders news stories are hitting the headlines as attention firmly turns to this weekend's crunch clash at the Atlanta Falcons?
After a positive start for the Washington Commanders, the dark clouds are threatening to descend once again. Three straight defeats have raised questions about whether this roster and coaching staff boast enough qualities to make the necessary improvements, so a huge effort is needed from all involved during preparations for Week 6 at the Atlanta Falcons.
Until then, the stories causing conversation include Ron Rivera's reprieve, the 2023 draft class and their lack of involvement, more injury woes, and Sam Howell's encouraging development.
Let's delve into each topic in more detail.
Commanders injury blows
If things weren't going badly enough for the Washington Commanders right now, the team confirmed that starting safety Darrick Forrest and All-Pro special teamer Jeremy Reaves are both going to injured/reserve. This is yet another blow to a team that isn't exactly blessed with sufficient depth across the board.
When discussing the injuries, head coach Ron Rivera seemed more confident with replacing Forrest than Reaves based on his comments via Washington's website. Not entirely surprising when one considers how vital he is to their strategy on special teams.
"We drafted Percy [Butler] for a reason. We got Quan [Martin] for a reason, and this is why. So now it's the next man up mentality and we just gotta go forward and get ready. Obviously we have some guys on practice squad that we're going to look at and we will be elevating. A couple of those guys are guys that are special teams guys as well. They're defensive backs that give us options."
- Ron Rivera via Commanders.com
As Rivera said, it's next man up. But the situation is far from ideal.