Commanders Need 'Consistency' From TE Curtis Hodges, Says Ron Rivera

Washington Commanders tight end Curtis Hodges has been a slow burn at the beginning of his career, with Ron Rivera detailing what he needs to see from the young tight end.

Washington Commanders second-year tight end Curtis Hodges' NFL career has been anything but a straightforward road. After not seeing a snap last season after being put on IR in September, the hulking 6-8 240lb tight end has been doing things rather slowly.

Which, of course, is fine, and as he enters his second NFL season, things need to start to click for the former Arizona State alum. The biggest thing for any NFL player is consistency, and for Commanders head coach Ron Rivera, that's all he wants from Hodges.

“I think consistency," Rivera said. "I know I use that word a lot, but consistency. You got to be able to know that the young man knows where to lineup, knows what his role is, what his jobs are. I think that's important. When you get those opportunities, you've got to show them. He's working hard, extremely hard. He's a big target. He's got tremendous catch radius. It's the maturing part because, remember, last year he really didn't get to get any work until the very, very end, and by then, it was too late. This is kind of like a rookie year for him now.”

Washington Commanders tight end Curtis Hodges (80) walks to the fields during day two of Commanders training camp at OrthoVirginia Training Center / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

With Washington's tight end position considered one of its weak spots on offense, Hodges getting up to speed could give Sam Howell another weapon. But despite not surpassing 400 receiving yards in his five years with the Sun Devils, it is his physical attributes that are likely most appealing.

But having the huge frame that Hodges does means nothing if he doesn't know what he's doing on the field.

For Rivera, patience is key for Hodges, and he stated that he will get his chances in due time.

“It's hard to be patient," Rivera said. "They want to be out there. That you want. You want guys to go, ‘hey, well why, how come? What do I have to do?’ I think that's great that he asks those questions. He gets up and talks to the coaches, and I think that helps him. It's just being honest and telling him, ‘hey, look, these are the things that you got to get better at. This is what you got to do.’ He's a heck of a young man. I think he’s got a good future. It'll come in time.”

With Hodges being on IR from the start of last season, he is now getting valuable reps as he looks to make his way in his NFL career.

While it hasn't gone to plan for him thus far, there is still plenty of time on his side to make his presence known this season.

Time is his ally, and the Commanders coaching staff seem hellbent on giving it to him as he learns what it means to be an NFL player.