Regardless of which metric you use, the Washington Commanders were an unmitigated disaster in 2023. If you didn’t watch the Commanders and just glanced at the basic stats, you’d see the offense was much better than the defense.
And you’d partially be right. Washington’s defense was hideous last season and, in November, cost defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio and secondary coach Brent Vieselmeyer their jobs.
While the offense was statistically better, it took a drastic turn for the worse during the second half of the season. The offensive line struggled in pass protection, quarterback Sam Howell often tried to do too much and battled turnovers and sacks, the receivers weren’t getting their typical separation and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy refused to run the football.
So, for the second consecutive season, multiple offensive players, on the condition of anonymity, spoke to The Washington Post about the offense. Toward the end of the 2022 season, players were frustrated with former offensive coordinator Scott Turner. He was fired after that season and replaced by Bieniemy, who came to Washington to call plays, install his own offense, and take a big swing at a head coaching job.
In an in-depth story from Nicki Jhabvala of Sam Fortier, players highlighted all that went wrong offensively in 2023.
Other players, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal team dynamics, described Bieniemy as a hard-working coach who hamstrung his own efforts with poor communication, stubborn play-calling and a disregard for player feedback.
The story focused on tight end Logan Thomas’ comments regarding Bieniemy at the end of the season, which weren’t positive. Also, right guard Sam Cosmi also noted how the Commanders should have run the ball more. Those were the players to go on record. And while they didn’t say anything negative about Bieniemy personally, it was clear the arrangement did not work out.
The problems between Bieniemy and his team first came to light in the summer. Former head coach Ron Rivera spoke about how some players were concerned with Bieniemy’s approach. Rivera later walked back those comments.
It came up again later in the season, when it was evident star wide receiver Terry McLaurin had grown frustrated. McLaurin isn’t a complainer, so when he has an issue, people take notice.
Multiple players told Fortier and Jhabvala the Commanders needed to run the ball more.
“I don’t think they gave [Howell] a fair chance,” a player said. “I felt like we became a one-dimensional team.”
