Commanders News: Shaka Toney, Jason Wright, Emmanuel Forbes and fans return
By Dean Jones
Which Washington Commanders' new stories are making the headlines with speculation coming from multiple fronts surrounding the franchise?
The Washington Commanders are still navigating their way through what promises to be a franchise-altering offseason period. Dan Snyder's reign as owner looks set to be done in just a few short weeks, which should put everyone currently in the organization on red alert if they want to avoid any widespread changes.
It's certainly an interesting time for fans with the 2023 NFL Draft now one week old. Among the stories making waves recently include Shaka Toney's future, Emmanuel Forbes compared to a current Pro Bowler, Jason Wright's optimism around Ron Rivera, and another encouraging development with fans returning to the stands.
Let's delve into each topic in more detail.
Story No. 1
Commanders fans buying back in
It's no secret that Washington Commanders fans started voting with their feet when things began spiraling out of control under Dan Snyder. There was almost no hope for legitimate progress, which made the experience at an almost derelict FedEx Field compared to modern-day NFL standards doing nothing to entice the supporters to spend their hard-earned cash.
Now, that could be changing.
According to team president Jason Wright via Yahoo Sports, the Commanders sold out a season's worth of suites from November onwards once Snyder's intent to sell was made clear.
"This is a historic franchise with a 90-year history, people that love this team. We've already seen some of that business momentum come back. When the [sale] process was announced last November, we sold what we would normally sell in a full season in annual suites, we made that in a week after we announced the sale. There's anticipation of this franchise returning to what it once was. People are willing to jump back into business with us, whether that's sponsors, suite-holders and others. We've now built an organization that can absorb that momentum."
- Jason Wright via Yahoo Sports
Expect this momentum to continue once Josh Harris' ownership group gets their bid rubber-stamped. Something that will formally begin the exciting new era in Washington without Snyder holding the franchise back.