Washington Commanders Plan to Fire Ron Rivera & 'Clean House'? How Long Should Josh Harris Turnaround Take?
It is no secret that the Washington Commanders' 2023 arrow has been pointing down. The trades of Chase Young and Montez Sweat marked an admission of that. So did the in-season firing of defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio.
What's next? Quite likely the new owner Josh Harris opting to clean house with Ron Rivera and the coaching staff, the front office (which is largely under the direction of Rivera) and, as much as is possible in a salary-cap league, we say the roster as well.
'It feels like a new direction is coming across the board,' a front-office source said to ESPN this week.
None of this represents a secret. That quote tells you that the front office knows what is coming.
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This week's news leak that "the Chicago Bears like Washington offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy as a head coaching candidate in 2024" offers another layer of self-recognition.
Think about it: Who, outside of Bieniemy's camp, would whisper that? And why would the Bears go public at this time with wanting to covet a coordinator of a team who at this time cannot score more than 44 points in its last three games?
Rivera, of course, knows best of all what is on the horizon. He might be a heckuva guy, but he isn't new owner Josh Harris' "guy." Harris gave the Rivera Regime a fair shot.
The Rivera Regime blew it.
This bunch has a 4-9 record, an even in the unlikely event of a mild late-season turnaround, the "housecleaning" is surely coming.
By the way: What's coming, after the change, needn't be a "lengthy rebuild," as has been suggested. We appreciate Harris lieutenant Magic Johnson urging patience, but the NFL is now a place of parity, where change for the better is not "easily," but still "quickly" accessible.
It's time for change for the better.
