ASHBURN, Va. — The last time the Commanders franchise had a winning season, Kirk Cousins was quarterback, Pierre Garcon was his leading receiver and Jay Gruden was head coach.
That was 2016.
Washington comes into 2024 with a new coaching staff, including head coach Dan Quinn, and new general manager, Adam Peters. Not to mention, there's a new quarterback coming off a Heisman Trophy-winning season with LSU.
Guys that have been on this team much longer than Jayden Daniels, like defensive back and special teams contributor Jeremy Reaves, say the energy at this year's training camp was different.
"I can say for the guys that have been here, including myself, for a long time, I’m tired of losing. I’m sick of it, man," said Reaves who has been with Washington since 2018. "I’m tired of status quo and we got a lot of guys here that feel the same way that have come from a bunch of different places."
Linebacker Bobby Wagner, who comes to the Commanders after 11 seasons in Seattle and one with the Los Angeles Rams, walked away from the final training camp practice happy with his decision to sign with Washington.
"Just how special we can be. Being able to learn the guys, understand how they play," said Wagner. "The energy of this team and the organization has changed, and I feel like it’s kind of up to us to display that once we get out there on the field."
Another veteran newcomer, tight end Zach Ertz, comes to Washington after playing nearly a decade for NFC East rival Philadelphia Eagles. Coming off the practice field Friday, Ertz said he was happy to be here, but talked about his previous perceptions about the organization.
"I think for a long time being in this division there was kind of a dark cloud over this place from afar, but now that I’ve been here, it couldn’t be further from what the narrative was going into this thing. I’ve enjoyed every bit of it," said Ertz. "The players that they’ve brought in, they’ve been intentional with that. Bringing in guys that practice hard, that are culture setters. From the get-go it’s been a lot of fun, so obviously that’s all fun and games and it’s about winning football games and we’re going to see that come here in a few weeks."
The Commanders close out the preseason at home Sunday night against the New England Patriots.
Their first regular season game is Sunday, Sept. 8 in Tampa.