Joe Theismann Sees Commanders as NFC East Contenders Again
Joe Theismann is one of the most notable figures in Washington Commanders franchise history.
The former quarterback starred for the Commanders franchise for 12 seasons (1974-1985) and led them to a Super Bowl along with back-to-back Super Bowl appearances. Theismann had his best season in 1983 when he not only won the MVP award, he won the NFL Offensive Player of the Year award also.
That was the year they went an NFL-best 14-2 while Theismann threw for a career-best 29 touchdowns along with 3,714 passing yards.
Fast forward to the present day and the Commanders are hoping to achieve similar success under young franchise quarterback Jayden Daniels. The Commanders experienced great success during Daniels’ rookie season, surprisingly advancing to the NFC Championship Game. But they fell back down to earth last season amid injuries to many of their key players, including Daniels. The Commanders went 5-12 after going 12-5 the previous season.
Despite the down year, Theismann believes the Commanders can bounce back as soon as this season, especially in an NFC East division that’s a bit of a toss-up.
“I do, I think they can, and I think the division is going to be much more difficult,” said Theismann in a one-on-one interview with R.org. Dallas got better, Giants got better, Eagles are where they are as a terrific football team couple years ago, winning a championship. And then the Commanders have made some great moves. Sonny Styles at the linebacker position was a great move, signed some key free agents on the defensive side of the ball. Terry (McLaurin) doesn’t have a contract issue, he’s going to be back. David Blough will run the offense a little bit different than Kliff (Kingsbury) did.
“I think Jayden will be able to get the ball out of his hands,” Theismann continued. “I know how hard he’s working, he’s chomping at the bit to get this thing started and ready to go. Now we’re in OTAs everywhere, and I’m excited for him and what his future is, so I’m excited about this football team. I really am. I think we have a chance to be able to make some hay in the division, and it’s not going to be easy. I think it’ll be the best division in football.”
Daniels’ Health Remains Backbone
One of the keys for the Commanders to sustain success is keeping Daniels healthy. The 25-year-old quarterback dealt with injuries to his hamstring and elbow, missing 10 total games on the season. His season was eerily similar to Robert Griffin III, a former young star QB for Washington who also won Rookie of the Year and led the team to a surprising playoff appearance in his first year. However, injuries during his second season derailed him, and his career never fully recovered.
Theismann believes the Commanders will change their offensive philosophy to better protect Daniels moving forward.
“I sure hope so,” said Theismann of keeping Daniels healthy. “I think being under center, I think he’ll be under center more than he has, and we see this trend moving in the NFL. I mean, Jalen (Hurts) in Philadelphia, Patrick (Mahomes) in Kansas City, more and more teams are opting out for play action to get the ball out of the quarterback’s hands, you can still take your shots. You’re getting people in the flat, you want to be able to run the football. Those are all elements that I think help the quarterback be protected in a positive way.
“Dropping back all the time and just letting people get free, free runners on either side, people coming up the middle, these defensive lines have become monsters,” Theismann continued.
“So you got to try and slow them down somehow. And the way you do that is, feature somewhat of a running game, and then flash the ball so that they have to take one step in the wrong direction gives you a little more time to get rid of it. But yeah, I think it will give them a chance to be able to protect himself more.”
Theismann believes Daniels will avoid what happened to Griffin III and will bounce back as soon as this season. Although it was a shortened season for him, his sophomore numbers — 88.1 passer rating and 60.6% completion rate — paled in comparison to his rookie season when he posted a 100.1 passer rating with a 69.0% completion rate.
“I do, I really do,” Theismann said of Daniels bouncing back in his third season.
“Foundationally, I think he really understands the game. The offense is, it’ll be different from maybe a mechanical standpoint, but the terminology will be the same, so you eliminate the thought process. Now what you do in the third year is you get to see the athlete that you saw in college, normally where they spend some time someplace. Now they’re all over the place, but if a guy spends two or three years in college, that’s the finished product you’re hoping to get in the NFL. Normally, what happens is you draft them, and then he takes a couple steps backwards because he has to think about what he wants to do, especially at the quarterback position.
“The whole consistency of the terminology in the system, and a lot of the things I think Washington’s going to do, will certainly be a big asset to him,” Theismann continued.
“And now the offensive line has not been too bad, not been bad. We’ve lost people in all the skilled positions, tight ends, running backs, wide receivers, quarterbacks, defensive backs. We’ve been beat up everywhere this past year.”
Commanders Have Chance at NFC East Title
The former Super Bowl MVP quarterback believes the Commanders can compete to win the division. They last won the division in 2020.
“I don’t think so,” said Theismann of there being a clear-cut division favorite. “People would probably say Philadelphia, but Dallas is such an enigma. Offensively, they’re as explosive as anybody in football. Defensively, you look at the talent they had, and they struggled. And then you go to the other side of it, you look at the Giants with the personnel that they have on the defensive side of the ball. You figure how are they not better?
We just got beat up, we were physically unable to compete. When you’ve got twos playing ones, it doesn’t work out in the NFL. The numbers don’t add up, and that’s basically what we had to deal with. I think this division is going to be one where you know if somebody can sweep somebody, it’s going to be a big plus with the Commanders.”
Theismann hammers home how a “big part” of whether or not the Commanders are able to return to contention is the health of their franchise quarterback.
“I think that’s part of it,” said Theismann. “I think it’s a big part of it, and I think they have to go in with the attitude that they could play great defense. I was blessed to be on a football team where David Woodley 0-for-8 in Super Bowl XVII for the Miami Dolphins against our defense in 1983. We were plus 43 in the giveaway/takeaway ratio, so as potent as we were offensively, we were better defensively, and I think this is where this team’s going to have to hang it’s at. Of course, Dan Quinn would love that, with Dan being the coach he is, and the personality he has, and what he’s coached for so many years, I think it’s got to be this defense that’s got to stop people and get the ball in the hands of the offense.”
Shifting to Golf
As Theismann pays close attention to the Commanders, he’ll be keeping busy preparing for the American Century Championship, the biggest annual celebrity golf tournament. The tournament will take place from July 10 until July 12 and features big names such as John Smoltz, Tony Romo and Stephen Curry.
The 76-year-old aims to finish around the top 40 and said he has been in the tournament 36 out of 37 years.
“The 2026 American Century Championship, 37th year, I’ve been involved in 36 of them, and that’s it’s been so great,” said Theismann. “We’ve raised over $8 million for charities in the Tahoe area, as well as the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, that’s located in Kansas City, and we added an element last year, the American Century Fantasy Golf Contest. It’s American Century Championship Fantasy Golf Contest, coming up in June, people will be able to log on to ACCFantasygolf.com and what you’ll be able to do is create your own fantasy team.
“We’re broken down into five groups,” Theismann continued. “You get to pick one from each group, that becomes your team. You can change it every day if you want. If you win a particular day, you wind up with two tickets to next year’s tournament. If you win the overall, it’s a $10,000 check to give to the charity of your choice. Not only are we having a good time, it’s $750,000, but we’re able to raise money to help other people, and that’s the neat thing about this tournament, and what American Century has stood for for so long.”