Washington Commanders Fire Sale Coming After Loss vs. Philadelphia Eagles?

After five losses in six games, the Washington Commanders need to focus on their future.

Sometimes the best decisions are the toughest ones to make.

For the Washington Commanders, that decision should be to sell at the trade deadline to accumulate as many picks as possible to build for the future.

On a whim, the decision doesn’t appear that hard to make. Washington (3-5) has lost five of its last six games and has a brutal stretch of games in the next two months. Where the decision becomes more difficult is for the people who have to make them.

Ron Rivera’s duties since 2020 have been above and beyond that of a normal head coach. While trying to manage a team, he’s also had to put up with scandal after scandal under former owner Dan Snyder. Rivera often found himself as the adult in the room when that responsibility should’ve belonged to someone else.

The Washington Commanders are 25-32-1 under Ron Rivera / © Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

With new ownership in Josh Harris and Washington staring at a third straight season without a playoff appearance, Rivera’s and general manager Martin Mayhew's time with the Commanders appears to be winding down rapidly. 

Rivera and Mayhew having to sell when their jobs are likely on the line is cruel, but also an opportunity to leave the franchise even better than when they arrived in 2020. One could argue Rivera and Mayhew deserve a graceful exit for helping stabilize the most unstable franchise in the NFL, but rarely does that end up being the case. At some point, Harris is going to put his fingerprints all over the Commanders' football operations, and that'll likely be without 

And if the Commanders are going to fully reset, Rivera shouldn't be the only one walking out the door before the end of the season.  

Conversations have reportedly already been had about trading defensive ends Chase Young and Montez Sweat, but it shouldn't end there. Other players like cornerback Kendall Fuller, safety Kamren Curl, receiver Curtis Samuel, running back Antonio Gibson and quarterback Jacoby Brissett are all players on expiring contracts who can bring value to playoff contenders. 

Even players like tight end Logan Thomas and cornerbacks Benjamin St-Juste and Danny Johnson, who become free agents in 2025, should be available for the right price. 

Even if Washington is only getting mid to late-round picks back, they'll have more darts to throw at the dart board in the draft, or to use to trade up in the draft for players that they like.  

At 3-5 with two games against the Dallas Cowboys and other matchups against the NFL's elite like the Miami Dolphins, Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers, it'd take a miraculous run for Washington to make a run at the playoffs. Rather than letting this be another lost season, trading key players at the trade deadline can help the Commanders set the foundation for the years to come. 

And if the Commanders do choose to go that route, for the first time in a long time, they'll have a sense of direction and that alone would be a promising sign no matter how things shake out for the rest of this season.