Decisions That Were Made; Fueled a Disaster in D.C.

The WFT is 1-4 and could be on their way to another three-win season, with a chance at four or five. Some key decisions made, seem to have backfired.

When Ron Rivera took over the Washington Football Team, it was clear that this job was going to be a project. He had no idea it was going to be as difficult as it turned out to be.

When he took over this team, he decided that he needed to establish a culture, a presence, and a way of refacing what the Washington team has been over the last ten to twenty years.

Unfortunately, it was a bigger undertaking than he imagined. He thought that if he would clear house, have a clean slate on the roster, and bring in players who he could mold into his own image, he could build this team from the foundation up.

I’m sure he expected some lumps, I’m sure he expected some downhill turns, but I doubt he knew the team would fall apart to this extent.

My question now is, could this have been avoided? Could Rivera have done something differently to position his team for success? Here are a few key decisions that the team missed on, and if they were handled differently, could have shaped this season much differently.

Solving the Issues with Trent Williams

For one, I think resolving the issues with Trent Williams would have solved a lot of problems that the team is now facing. Williams was upset and disgusted with his treatment by Team President Bruce Allen and the medical staff. But after that all of that was cleared, he had the opportunity to feel loved again and rejoin the organization.

Williams had a clear connection with owner Dan Snyder and there was a window to come back to Washington, but apparently with Rivera, the door was closed. When Rivera was hired, he delayed while reaching out to Trent, and hesitated on giving Williams a contract extension, leaving Williams feeling neglected. So he left. If Rivera made an effort to mend the relationship with Williams, we would have a solidified left tackle position.

Bringing in Cam Newton

The elephant in the room is that Cam Newton would have outshined Dwayne Haskins while in Washington. Maybe that would have been the case, but if Haskins truly was the alpha-male and leader the team was looking for, he would have outperformed Cam, he would have worked harder, and it would have been motivation for him to push him over the top.

Having Newton would have also been a great fallback if Haskins had faltered. Newton knows the offense inside and out, and there are some quarterbacks who can transcend having a bad offensive line or a lack of weapons. Cam Newton is that guy and could have provided Washington with some sense of credibility.

Signing a Tight End

This offseason had a great free agent class of tight-ends that the Washington Football Team should have pounced on. Young prospects such as Hunter Henry, Austin Hooper, Jacob Hollister and Eric Ebron were available. The team even explored the option of Greg Olsen.

There was no way that Logan Thomas, Jeremy Sprinkle or Hale Hentges should have been the primary option this offseason. As we know, a tight-end is a quarterback’s best friend. And not providing Haskins a steady outlet was a missed opportunity.

Neglecting this, and projecting Thomas as a true solution at the tight end position does raise an eyebrow on the foresight of Rivera and Kyle Smith. Are they truly great evaluators? What were they seeing there? Clearly Thomas and company are leaving something to be desired.

Keeping Adrian Peterson

When the team released Adrian Peterson, they made a poor decision. I see the vision with coach Rivera to embrace the youth movement. However with Peterson gone, the team lost leadership and stability within the offense. Although Peterson is somewhat one-dimensional, he is a steady presence where you can hand the ball off and ride him for a game or two. One way to supplement the development of a young quarterback is to develop a power-run game, and Peterson could have carried the ball 15 times a game to help out Haskins.

Granted, he may not be as dynamic as he once was, however his ability is still there. Last year, with a similar offensive line, he still produced almost 1000 yards. He is still capable, and could have worked within a committee, while also providing leadership within the locker room.

Letting Peterson go was a mistake, because he was already under contract and he would have provided some sort of personality to the offense that the team is lacking now.

Adding a Wide Receiver

Finally, the team needs more offensive firepower. An established wide receiver should have been brought in this offseason. I know the team went “all in” for Amari Cooper, and wanted a true number one wide-out to compete with Terry McLaurin, but that was a whiff. And when they whiffed, they should have had a back-up plan. It’s clear Kelvin Harmon being out for the season created a big gap, but not having an alternative and relying on first and second year receivers, was an epic fail for management. Now McLaurin is on an island as the primary playmaker on offense. That’s an unfair expectation for him, and limits the offense.

All of these missteps have accumulated and left the team at a loss. The team is in a tailspin, and needs to set itself right, and quickly. Unfortunately, most of these issues could have been avoided with a few different decisions this offseason. 

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George Carmi joined "Washington Football" on SI.com in April. He is also an editor/contributing writer to FullPressCoverage.com or @FPC_Redskins. He is a native of the DC metropolitan area and is an avid fan of DC Sports. A former journalism major at the University of Maryland, his focus is now in public education. His earliest memories consist of Darrell Green, "The Posse" and Super Bowl XXVI. Follow him on twitter @Gcarmi21