After hiring a new head coach and general manager, the Washington Commanders still face plenty of tough decisions in 2024. Here are three they’ll need to make before the regular season.
Ramiz Ahmed or Riley Patterson?
After watching Joey Slye make just 79.2% of kicks last season, the Commanders signed Brandon McManus to a one-year, $3.6M contract. Unfortunately, he was accused of sexually assaulting a pair of flight attendants on a team flight to London with the Jaguars last year and released shortly afterward.
Now the team must decide between Ahmed and Patterson. Ahmed has never attempted an NFL field goal but he does hold the USFL record with a 61-yard conversion. He played one game for the Green Bay Packers last year but was limited to kickoff duty.
Patterson started his NFL career with Detroit in 2021 but he also kicked for the Jaguars and went 1-1 in two games with Browns last season. He’s made 59 of 67 kicks in his four-year career but is by no means a lock to win the job.
Brandon Coleman or Cornelius Lucas?
Do the Commanders really hope to protect Jayden Daniels blindside with a rookie left tackle? Currently, the choices are veteran swing tackle Cornelius Lucas or third-round pick Brandon Coleman.
Coleman grew up in Germany and didn’t play football until 2016 but handled multiple positions at TCU. His Relative Athletic Score (9.97) at the NFL Scouting Combine ranks fifth out of 1,524 offensive guards tested from 1987-2024 and according to si.com’s David Harrison, Coleman has dominated teammates in training camp drills and looks, “every bit the part of a starting caliber left tackle.”
Lucas joined the team in 2022 and started 16 games at left tackle over the past three years. He signed a one-year deal in the offseason but missed time in training camp for personal reasons. It sounds like the right tackle job is Coleman’s to lose but he’ll need to play well in the team’s preseason opener against the Jets.
Austin Ekeler or Brian Robinson Jr.?
When Washington signed Austin Ekeler to a two-year, $8.4M contract, many assumed the former Charger would take over as the team’s No. 1 running back. Last year, the job belonged to Robinson who led the team with 733 yards and five scores on the ground.
However, unlike his rookie season, Robinson proved to be a threat as a receiver with a career-high 36 catches for 368 yards and four touchdowns. With 440 catches for 3,884 yards and 30 touchdowns in seven seasons, Ekeler is no stranger to the passing game but caught just one touchdown in a subpar 2023 season. For his part, Ekeler welcomes the opportunity to share catches and carries with Robinson.
“I know I’m going to be one of those backs that’s going to catch it and run the ball,” Ekeler said on “The Rich Eisen Show.” “And then when I’ve had the most success, it’s been usually when we have some type of tandem where we have someone else that can relieve me.”
Of course, he could be the one relieving Robinson by the end of training camp. Either way, the Commanders have plenty to think about when it comes to their running backs.
