The Washington Commanders went into the last offseason with a clear objective: Upgrade the quarterback position. After failing to land Russell Wilson and passing on Jimmy Garoppolo due to concerns over his injured shoulder, Washington traded a pair of draft picks to the Indianapolis Colts for Carson Wentz.
Washington dodged a bullet by not acquiring Wilson. However, the trade for Wentz ended as many projected. Wentz started the first six games and then injured a finger on his throwing hand in a Week 6 win over the Chicago Bears. Taylor Heinicke led the Commanders into playoff contention during his absence but was benched in the second half of a Week 16 loss at San Francisco after the offense had struggled for weeks.
Wentz relieved Heinicke, looked good in limited action, and head coach Ron Rivera started him in the Week 17 game against the Cleveland Browns. Wentz was terrible, and the Commanders were dominated in a 24-10. As a result, Washington was eliminated from the postseason.
It was a frustrating loss for the players, coaches and fans. And while the defense faltered in the second half of Week 17, with players such as Jonathan Allen, Kam Curl and Benjamin St-Juste sidelined, it was the offense that ultimately cost the Commanders a playoff berth.
This leads us to offensive coordinator Scott Turner.
According to a report from Sam Fortier and Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post, Commanders’ players are frustrated with Turner’s play-calling.
After last week’s loss, one anonymous player said, “ask the play-caller,” in response to why the offense failed to have a spark that Rivera believe when turning back to Wentz.
Veteran tight end Logan Thomas went on record with his concerns.
“The way I put it is: We got so much talent, we should be scoring more points than we have [been],” Thomas said via Fortier.
Other nuggets from Fortier’s report said some players believe Turner is sometimes guilty of “outsmarting” himself and that Browns defenders often anticipated what was coming in the Week 17 loss. Cleveland linebacker Reggie Ragland spoke after the game of Wentz’s release and that some players told him they preferred Heinicke.
While that may be true, other players didn’t place blame at the feet of Wentz.
“I feel bad for Carson,” a player said. “I don’t think we knew how to utilize him.”
Another player didn’t necessarily blame Turner, instead saying that the pressure of Wentz trying to save his career was evident even before the game began.
Head coach Ron Rivera was asked about Turner Friday and offered the following assessment:
“I think we’ve had our moments,” Rivera answered. “I think there’s some really good things considering the availability of everybody. You know, it’s been tough.”
It remains to be seen what happens to the coaching staff after the season. With a potential ownership change, it’s not an ideal time for coaching upheaval.
The biggest criticism facing Turner this season was the Week 15 loss to the New York Giants. Rookie running back Brian Robinson Jr. rushed for 89 yards on 12 attempts and the Giants couldn’t stop him. Yet, Turner went away from Robinson and later admitted that was a mistake.
Rookie Sam Howell will start at quarterback in the Week 18 finale against the Dallas Cowboys. Earlier in the week, former Washington tight end Logan Paulsen, a terrific analyst covering the team, said Howell wasn’t ready.
Why is Howell not ready? Fans look around the league and see San Francisco’s seventh-round pick Brock Purdy thriving. Sure, there are extenuating circumstances as San Francisco has a loaded roster and Kyle Shanahan is the best offensive coach in the game. But after 17 weeks, you can’t tailor a game plan around your rookie quarterback?
Sunday’s game is critical for Turner. Can he scheme an offense that caters to Howell’s strengths in his first career start?