It’s hard to find a player on the Washington Commanders’ roster who has stuck around more than Jeremy Reaves. This offseason marks the third coaching staff he’s played for since 2018; Bruce Allen and Jay Gruden signed him to the practice squad, and Ron Rivera and Martin Mayhew kept him around and gave him a spot on the 53-man roster. Now, Adam Peters and Dan Quinn decided to make him part of the new era in Washington football.
All that’s to say that Reaves has seen and played for his share of different coaching styles. He had a brief, but significant evaluation of the new leadership.
“Real deal,” Reaves said. “They’re not wasting any time.”
The Commanders entered the new league year with half their roster hitting the open market, and whether Quinn wants to call it rebuilding or recalibrating, the new roster will be made in his and Peters’ image. Though most of the open spots have been filled by new players, Washington decided to retain four players from the old regime: Reaves, tackle Cornelius Lucas, defensive end Efe Obada and receiver/return specialist Jamison Crowder.
The new staff made two things clear to the players they decided to keep: they want to win and do so the right way. Those are messages they can get behind.
Lucas, who has performed well as a spot starter at both tackle spots for the last four seasons, isn’t the only player coming back to Washington looking for more chances to prove themselves with a new staff. Crowder feels that he showed he can still make plays on special teams, but he also has confidence in his ability as an offensive weapon. He caught 16 passes on 20 targets, amassing 159 yards and a touchdown.
Crowder doesn’t want to be given a job; he simply wants a chance to show how he can contribute, and Quinn and his new staff are going to give him that.
