Commanders move to Jacoby Brissett is one last reminder of how bare Ron Rivera has left the cupboard
Before training camp, when new ownership had taken over and it became clear that Commanders coach Ron Rivera would have to orchestrate a magical season to keep his job, he said often that he took pride in developing a capable young roster.
Rivera told ESPN: “ If we go 8-8-1 this year and (Josh Harris) fires me and next year they win the division and (it’s) 40 of the 53 players we drafted and it’s the same quarterback, I’m vindicated. Send me my Super Bowl ring. That’s the way I look at it. I want us to be right and to see this community have that excitement again.”
On Wednesday he benched that quarterback, another dent in a legacy that has become increasingly tarnished over the course of a 4-11 season.
Jacoby Brissett will become the ninth starting quarterback of Rivera’s tenure, taking over for Sam Howell, who was proclaimed the future after a strong mid-season stretch, but has been one of the league’s worst quarterbacks over the past four games.
“I still feel the same way I do about Sam,” defensive tackle Jonathan Allen said. “But I mean, at the end of the day, you’re looking at a player who’s lost his confidence a little bit. I’ve been in that situation many times. It’ll be OK. It’s gonna be a battle, but I mean, if anyone can do it, I know he can.”
Likewise, Rivera painted the benching as a moment of growth for Howell, not an indictment of his future in the league.
“I really do think this guy can be a really good quarterback in this league. I really do,” Rivera said. “But I also think that sometimes when things get tough and get hard - and this has been a long year for everybody - I think this is a chance for him to take a breath.”
Rivera enters the final two games with a career record of 102-101-2, and while Commanders fans may be rooting for the team to lose to preserve draft position, there’s no talk of the sort in Ashburn.
Brissett is also playing for his future - he’s on a one-year contract and will become a free agent after the season.
On Wednesday, he made clear he was hoping to win the starting job in Washington during training camp.
“That would not be a part of, I would say, my plan, for (my first start) to be at this point of the season,” he said. “But hey, those are the cards you’re dealt, and you just gotta go out there and play cards with them.”
Brissett picked up an immediate endorsement from veteran receiver Terry McLaurin.
“He just has a good feel of playing the quarterback position,” McLaurin said. “I think he’s a leader out there, and guys rally around the way he conducts himself in the huddle, and I think he’s going to give us a chance to really be successful.”
For Howell, an offseason of uncertainty awaits.
He’s on a rookie contract that makes him a likely choice to return as a backup next year, but a new regime could decide to start over entirely.
He said he believes there’s a future for himself in the NFL.
“I know my worth,” he said. “I know the type of player I’m capable of being. You know, this isn’t gonna make me forget all the things that I feel like I’ve done well this year. I think I’ve shown at times that I can be a good player in this league, and those are the things that I’ll fall back on, and those are the things that will keep my confidence up.”
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