The Washington Commanders surprised a lot of people by having a mini firesale ahead of the 2023 NFL Trade Deadline. It wasn’t all that shocking when they traded Montez Sweat to the Chicago Bears, as many expected them to move at least one of Sweat and Chase Young.
Getting a second-round pick back in exchange for Sweat, which will almost assuredly be inside the top 40, was praised. However, when they decided to trade Young a few hours later to the San Francisco 49ers, that move wasn’t seen in as positive of a light.
Despite trading away two starters, and arguably two of their best players on the team, the Commanders haven’t lost confidence. Head coach Ron Rivera still believes there is hope for his team to go on a run for the remainder of the season.
“We have an opportunity to go out and play well. I do think there’s every opportunity in front of us. … It’s an opportunity to see what else we have. It’s an opportunity to go out and win football games using different guys,” Rivera said.
Victories have been hard to come by for the Commanders in recent weeks as they have lost five out of their last six games. Week 9 presents something of an elimination game against the New England Patriots, as they cannot afford to drop to 3-6 on the season.
Replacing the production of Sweat and Young will not be easy. They combined for 11.5 sacks thus far, as both were on pace to set new career highs. Both players should cash in as free agents in 2024 if extensions aren’t agreed to before that point or they have the franchise tag placed on them.
Rivera’s confidence in the team turning things around despite the trades is rooted in his experience of doing it before. In 2014 as head coach of the Carolina Panthers, Rivera saw some personnel changes made to the roster. Despite that, the team rallied to win the NFC South with a 7-8-1 record and was victorious in their Wild Card game.
“I’ve gone through this before,” Rivera said. “Do we have that opportunity? I think this is what this is. It’s the same kind of opportunity.”
“You’re going to miss those guys,” Washington receiver Terry McLaurin said. “But as players we know that this is a business and things like this happen. We can’t let it trickle into next week.”
Casey Toohill and James Smith-Williams will be tasked with replacing Sweat and Young in the Commanders lineup. That is easier said than done, but the team is confident they will be able to perform at a high level, otherwise, the trades wouldn’t have been made.
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