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There were similarities.
The Commanders and Patriots selected franchise quarterbacks with consecutive picks in the 2024 NFL Draft. Both organizations tabbed new leaders for their front offices and brought in new coaching staffs to lead the team on the field. Washington and New England simultaneously stepped to the starting line in a race many figured would resemble a marathon.
The Commanders, though, sprinted out in front and dusted the Patriots.
New England now holds the No. 4 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and Washington is one of four teams still fighting for the Lombardi trophy.
There are two ways to look at that. Glass-half empty? Washington, arguably the NFL’s biggest dumspterfire during the Dan Snyder era, is now the one pointing and laughing at teams like New England. The Commanders’ new ownership group ran circles around the Patriots with their hiring process and figured out a way to rebuild in one offseason, something Robert Kraft and company have been trying to do since Tom Brady’s exit.
However, there’s also the glass-half-full. The Commanders proved with the right mix of general manager, head coach, offensive play-caller and quarterback, longtime cellar-dwellers can quickly become the ones drinking martinis on the roof top. That’s not to say New England is a longtime cellar-dweller either. It’s been an underwhelming four or five seasons, sure, but there’s still six Super Bowl banners hanging at Gillette Stadium that we captured this century.
Rebuilds don’t have to take half a decade, they can be completed in one or two years if you do it correctly. That should provide some encouragement.
Commanders general manager Adam Peters not only has an eye for talent, but can identify players who fit head coach Dan Quinn. Washington rebuilt its roster by adding veterans like Bobby Wagner, Zach Ertz, etc., who lead their respective position groups. They signed undervalued players like linebacker Frankie Luvu (three years, $31 million) and running back Austin Ekeler (two years, $8 million) to contracts which didn’t break the bank.
Quinn hired offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, whose top priority was to fit his scheme and game-plan to rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. Daniels, who had arguably the best season ever for a rookie quarterback, took that coaching and elevated those around him. It was a trickle-down effect and it started from the top.
The Patriots feel closer to that now than they did at the midway point of the season. New England replaced first-year head coach Jerod Mayo with 2021 Coach of the Year Mike Vrabel. Vrabel will collaborate and build out his roster with Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf and Ryan Cowden, who’s headed to Foxboro, Mass., at Vrabel’s request. Those two should come together to add players who fit what Vrabel is looking for.
New England has both the draft capital and financial means to overhaul the roster this offseason, as well. Washington proved the obvious benefit of hitting a home run (Daniels), but having the right people in charge all while...
