I did a comparison of the New England Patriots and Washington Commanders this season. Both teams finished 4-13 last season. This season has been a different story however. The Patriots are currently sitting at 3-13 while the Commanders are 11-5 and in the playoffs.
So what worked in Washington that did not work in New England? Here is a breakdown of last off-season and how the two franchises got here.
The Patriots hired Eliot Wolf as Vice President of Football Operations after ownership hired Jerod Mayo as head coach, Alex Van Pelt as offensive coordinator and DeMarcus Covington as defensive coordinator.
The Commanders on the other hand hired Adam Peters as general manager first and new owner Josh Harris empowered him to hire Dan Quinn as head coach. Kliff Kingsbury as offensive coordinator and Joe Whitt as defensive coordinator.
The Commanders did it the right way structurally. Peters used free agency to fortify the roster. He signed veterans Austin Ekeler, running back, guard Nick Allegretti, center Tyler Biadasz, tight end Zach Ertz, defensive end Dante Fowler Jr., defensive end Dorance Armstrong, linebacker Bobby Wagner, linebacker Frankie Luvu and safety Jeremy Chinn. All of these players have ended up starting and making a major impact.
The Commanders then drafted quarterback Jayden Daniels second overall, cornerback Mike Sainristil, wide receiver Luke McCaffrey, left tackle Brandon Coleman and defensive tackle Zer’Jhan Newton. The Commanders have gotten a ton from this rookie class, most notably Daniels who looks like he is going to be a top five quarterback in the league.
Washington also traded for cornerback Marshon Lattimore to fortify their roster during the trade deadline. Lattimore gives them a shut down corner who can lock on side of the field down.
The Patriots were moderately active in free agency. Unfortunately for them, they struck out on most of the veterans they signed. Running back Antonio Gibson has been good as has tight end Austin Hooper. The team cut veteran wide receiver KJ Osborn and offensive tackle Chukwuma Okorafor left the team at the start of the season. Nick Leverett, was also cut during the middle of the season. Defensive tackle Armon Watts had no impact and linebacker Sione Takitaki has had a minimal impact. Safety Jaylinn Hawkins has been steady but kicker Joey Slye has been erratic. Bottom line, most of the players signed did nothing to change the fortunes of the franchise.
The Patriots drafted Drake Maye third overall and waited until Week 6 to start him. He looks like a franchise quarterback and has developed well but it begs the question, did the Patriots wait too long to start him? The rest of the draft class leaves a lot to be desired. Ja’Lynn Polk looked like the team’s best receiver in training camp but has done nothing in the regular season amassing 87 total yards and 2 touchdowns. Offensive tackle Caedan Wallace made a start but he has been hurt. Layden Robinson has started eight games, four at left guard and four at right guard. He struggled early in the year but has gotten better. Javon Baker has barely played. Marcellus Dial has been strictly a special teamer. Jaheim Bell has shown flashes of possibly being a second tight end.
The Patriots traded away Mac Jones, Matthew Judon and Joshua Uche. The hope is, the third round pick they got for Judon in this year’s draft ends up being a player.
Bottom line, the Commanders have made all the right moves. The Patriots moves have not panned out. Some of it is luck but a lot of it is good decision making and being on the same page. Ultimately, that is why Washington went 11-5 and is in the playoffs and the Patriots 3-13 and competing for the number one pick in the draft on Sunday.