Washington Redskins head coach Ron Rivera met with the media on Tuesday afternoon to hold a video conference and discuss a few things on the docket, including the Redskins past free-agency moves, what their plan is for the NFL Draft, and how they are going to navigate the 2020 offseason despite the COVID-19 pandemic that is keeping the team at a distance.
Rivera touched on a number of different topics, and for the most part, seemed to have a good handle of the day-to-day business of the Redskins. With confidence and a level-head, Rivera laid out a plan for the future. These are our five biggest takeaways from the press conference:
The Redskins Are Drafting Chase Young
Rivera didn’t go as far as mentioning Chase Young’s name in the press conference, but he didn’t need to either. With a generational talent like Young available to draft, it’s hard to go any other way. When talking about the value of picks, Rivera made sure to state that no matter which way they go, they will absolutely need to find a player who can contribute to the team now with their first-round pick. If that’s Young, great. If it’s someone else, great. The best bet is Young coming to a team with a defensive head coach and an outstanding defensive coordinator.
QB1 is Dwayne haskins’ job to lose
Rivera promised us at the start of his tenure that the team planned to bring in a player worthy of competing with Dwayne Haskins for the starting QB role, and they did so with Kyle Allen. Allen spent a couple of years with Rivera in Carolina, and he played well as both a backup and a starting QB when called upon. The team is confident that he has what it takes to step up when called upon, but they also know he has the right temperament to serve as a supportive QB2. He called Allen a “team-first” guy, which is exactly what you need from a backup QB.
A fresh start was important for Washington
Quinton Dunbar is gone. Montae Nicholson is gone. Trent Williams is gone in spirit. Three solid players in Washington that the Redskins will have to replace, but it seems to have been the right call on all fronts, as the team looks to start fresh and build a winning ball club. While Nicholson dealt with some off-field issues that left Rivera with an easy decision to cut him loose, it probably wasn’t quite as easy to rid of Dunbar, who is a top-15 cornerback in the NFL. The same will eventually be said about Williams, who is one of the best left tackles in the game. However, Rivera has made it clear in his first few months on the job that the culture is important to him and having guys that want to be there is the main thing he is focused on. Getting rid of those three allows the Redskins to have a fresh start going into 2020, which is just what they need.
Dan Snyder is supportive, yet hands-off
One of the biggest knocks on team owner Dan Snyder is that he has gotten too involved with the team in years past, and made his wishes more important than the desires of those he’s hired. This reportedly happened with Dwayne Haskins in the 2019 draft, where he was selected with the No. 15 pick. However, when hiring Rivera, Snyder made it clear that the head coach is the leader of the team, and what he says goes. It’s a great thought in principle, but it only matters if that’s how plans are carried out. According to Rivera, Snyder has been very supportive in these first few months, offering to help in any way that he can, but not being an overbearing owner. While trying to stay informed on everything that is going on, he is letting his guys do their job and create the best football team that they can. If you’re a fan of the Redskins, this is exactly what you’ve been waiting to hear for years.
Stay Patient, but continue to be aggressive
Rivera knows that there is a lot of rebuilding to do for the Redskins before they can become a contending team that makes deep runs into the playoffs, and he knows that this won’t happen overnight. They aren’t likely to be a playoff team in 2020, but that doesn’t mean they can’t win a few games and have a solid base for the future.
A winning record in 2020 may be far fetched, but in 2021? It’s not crazy to think that can happen. As for now, the Redskins are okay with staying the course and not chasing wins in 2020. They’re playing the long game.
Players need to prove their worth
A lot of the free agents that the Redskins have signed this offseason are solid players that have struggled to find a footing yet in the league, though they’ve shown some upside. They’re also coming to Washington on short-term deals that will force them to perform if they want to stick around. This matched Rivera’s mentality that he’s had with Quinton Dunbar — I know you’re good, but prove to me that I should invest in you long-term. Players will stay hungry, and they’ll fight for a financial future.
