Commander Country

Would Commanders Entertain on HBO's 'Hard Knocks'?

HBO's "Hard Knocks" is likely to announce its annual subject soon. Could it be the Washington Commanders?

Jeremy Brener

In this story:

The Washington Commanders are one of four teams that could potentially be forced to be the subject of HBO's "Hard Knocks" this summer.

"Hard Knocks" chronicles the training camp and preseason of one NFL team, which varies each season.

There are specific rules about which teams can and cannot appear on the HBO five-episode program, and teams can render themselves ineligible to be forced to appear.

Teams can volunteer, like the 2016 Los Angeles Rams, but it hasn't happened since.

A team can be forced to be the subject of the program if it has a head coach who was with the team in the previous season, has not made the playoffs in the previous two seasons and has not been on Hard Knocks in the past 10 years.

The Commanders, along with the New York Jets, Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints can be forced to appear on the program. But Washington was ranked fourth on a list ranking entertainment potential by NFL.com.

"The Commanders have question marks all over, but maybe Hard Knocks could answer them in 2023," NFL.com writes.

The Commanders wouldn't exactly be a boring "Hard Knocks" subject. The team could have a new owner and a quarterback battle in training camp, but the other three teams could provide more intriguing storylines.

The Saints are starting a new era with Derek Carr under center, the Bears traded the No. 1 pick this offseason and have oodles of cap space, while the Jets are likely about to deal for Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Should the Jets trade for Rodgers, it would be hard to see the NFL not pass up the opportunity to have a team in the country's largest market with one of the most marketable superstars in his first months with a new team.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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