Despite having the easiest schedule in the NFL, not many are expecting much out of the Washington Commanders. Las Vegas odds place Washington’s over/under win total at 7.5. When national analysts talk about the NFC East the Commanders are barely mentioned.
However, there is one ESPN analyst that sees a high ceiling out of Ron Rivera’s team.
Appearing on NFL Live recently, former Washington quarterback-turned football analyst Robert Griffin III, says he believes if the Commanders get a few bounces, they can be a “surprise Super Bowl contender” in 2022.
“I’ll say it: the Washington Commanders have ‘surprise Super Bowl contender’ written all over them,” Griffin said (h/t Bijan Todd of NBC Sports Washington). “The reason they went and got Carson Wentz is because, if he plays like he did last year, they will at least be in playoff contention because it was better than the quarterback play they had last year.”
Griffin highlights Wentz is an upgrade at quarterback for the Commanders. He adds if he can recreate his magic of his 2017 MVP-like season, Washington would be a threat for the Super Bowl.
But, Wentz is not the only reason Griffin is high on Washington. He points to their wide receiver corps and talented defensive line.
“They’re loaded at wide receiver — Scary Terry (McLaurin), they got a healthy Curtis Samuel and Jahan Dotson that they just drafted from Penn State,” Griffin III said. “And that defensive line: Chase Young, Montez Sweat, Daron Payne, Jonathan Allen, Phidarian Mathis, who they just drafted, right? That defensive line has to show up.”
Wentz is on his third team in three years. This will be a defining year for him after getting traded back-to-back offseasons. The Commanders are excited about their new quarterback and added another wide receiver option to Terry McLaurin with Jahan Dotson in the first round of last month’s NFL Draft.
However, there are still concerns over the health of wide receiver Curtis Samuel after his injury-riddle first year in Washington last season.
The defensive line was a huge disappointment last season. Yet, it’s hard to imagine they could be any worse next season. Still, the biggest question mark is 2020 Defensive Rookie of Year Chase Young, who is recovering from a torn ACL.
Washington has quite a few questions entering the upcoming season. Griffin doesn’t deny the concerns. However, the roster has a great deal of untapped potential.
“But if they can get all those ‘ifs’—and it’s a lot of ifs to go together—their roster is stacked, and it’s the best roster Washington has had in at least the last 10 years,” Griffin III said. “They don’t bring in Carson Wentz if they’re not trying to win a Super Bowl. They’re paying him a boatload of money. If they can get just an inkling of that MVP season out of him, that’s gonna put them in the playoff contention — not just playoff contention but contention to win a Super Bowl.”
