NFL Draft: Commanders Picking Top 10 in 2024?
The NFL season isn't played on paper, but that doesn't stop people from projecting how things will play out.
ESPN projected which teams would be picking in the top 10 picks for the NFL Draft, and the Washington Commanders landed at eighth. Overall, ESPN gave Washington a 47.3 percent chance of picking in the top 10 and a 4.4% chance of having the No. 1 pick.
While ESPN believes Commanders' quarterbacks Sam Howell or Jacoby Brissett can be an upgrade compared to Carson Wentz and Taylor Heinicke, they also noted there are still questions on that side of the ball.
"There's a fairly good chance that Sam Howell and/or Jacoby Brissett will represent an upgrade at quarterback over what the Commanders got from Taylor Heinicke and Carson Wentz last season, but this team is still largely an unknown on offense," ESPN writes. "They were strong defensively a year ago and should be again on paper, though defense is harder to predict from season to season and therefore matters less when looking forward."
Outside of quarterback, the offensive line and tight end are also big question marks for Washington. The Commanders have added to the offensive line through free agency with the signings of Andrew Wylie and Nick Gates and the draft with Braeden Daniels and Ricky Stromberg. The Commanders allowed 48 sacks in 2022, which was the seventh most in the NFL.
The same can't be said for the tight end position. An already underwhelming unit may also be without Armani Rogers for the season after he suffered an Achilles injury during OTAs.
If Washington is going to outplay ESPN's projections, they believe that'll be partly because of the addition of offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. In his tenure as the Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator, they were consistently one of the best offenses in football and won two Super Bowls.
Bieniemy is replacing Scott Turner as Washington's offensive play-caller.
"It has not finished in the top half of the NFL in points or yards since 2017 -- and was never higher than 20th in either category under Turner," ESPN writes. "The Commanders also have to hope Howell or Brissett can be effective. But they have talent at receiver and running back, and they have an experienced defense that has been top 10 in both points and yards allowed in two of the past three seasons."
The pressure is on for the Commanders to win in 2023. If Washington finds itself picking in the top 10 in 2024, that may spell the end for several people throughout the organization.
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