Why are the Washington Commanders being slept on in 2023?

Why are the Washington Commanders being slept on as pertains to their chances of making legitimate strides during the 2023 season?

Not many are expecting the Washington Commanders to become a serious contender next season. There's been so much turmoil across the franchise in recent years, a period of consolidation looks set to follow as Josh Harris and his wealthy team of investors take stock of everything before making any changes.

This piles the pressure on head coach Ron Rivera, but it wasn't like he was in the safest position after failing to attain a winning record in his three seasons at the helm so far. Therefore, anything less than genuine progress and perhaps even a playoff spot will likely see Harris go in a different direction.

It's not all doom and gloom for Rivera, though. The Commanders have an exceptional defense that could be No. 1 if the secondary makes the necessary improvements, the skill positions look good, and Eric Bieniemy's introduction might be enough to spark Washington's offense into life at long last.

Commanders could emerge as surprise contenders in 2023

One could make a case that people are sleeping on the Commanders given the strength at the team's disposal. Even if their fate is largely dependent on how quarterback Sam Howell performs with increased expectations on his shoulders.

This was a sentiment echoed by offensive tackle Cornelius Lucas recently, who stated via Sports Illustrated that everything is in place for Washington to become one of the league's surprise packages next time around.

"Don't sleep on the [Commanders] baby. We got all the players, we got all the coaches, we finally got our front office together and hopefully once we sell the team, all the leadership and the ownership will be just right."

- Cornelius Lucas via Sports Illustrated

It's easy to dismiss Washington's chances next season. Howell has just one career start under his belt, the offensive line still boasts more questions than answers despite a revamp this spring, and Rivera is perceived to be a lame-duck coach with his fate all but sealed.

Couple this with the strength of Washington's schedule and the competitive NFC East in which they reside, it's not hard to see where things could go wrong. And yet, going under the radar is something that could actually work in their favor.

Rivera will be only too happy to let the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, and New York Giants take the limelight. The Commanders will go about their business quietly and if they can build some early momentum, who knows what this talented group could accomplish.

As Bieniemy stated during his introductory press conference - why not Washington? The NFC isn't exactly brimming with elite quarterbacks or clubs with high hopes of winning the Super Bowl, so an unfancied team is more than capable of emerging from obscurity and into conference contention.

If the Commanders had someone more proven at football's most pivotal position, they'd be among the frontrunners. Instead, most sportsbooks have their over/under at 6.5 wins as the margin for error becomes non-existent.

Everyone knows what will happen if the Commanders don't meet even modest targets next season. Harris' group could gut the franchise from top to bottom in the hope it can ignite their new era of prosperity without Dan Snyder's incompetence complicating matters.

While that seems a likely scenario, all things considered, don't count Rivera and his squad out just yet.