The Washington Commanders haven’t been very good in the 21st century. You can blame former owner Daniel Snyder for much of that ineptitude. Fortunately, Snyder sold the team in July 2023 to a group led by Josh Harris. In only his second season as owner, Harris had the Commanders in the NFC championship game after a 12-5 regular season. It was the franchise’s best season in 33 years.
It helps, of course, to have a franchise quarterback. In the 2024 NFL draft, the Commanders found their guy, Jayden Daniels, who was terrific as a rookie, winning the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award. Many already consider Daniels one of the NFL’s top quarterbacks.
However, before last season, Washington had only made the playoffs five times since 2001, with a record of 1-5. The only win came in 2005, so last season’s success marked the end of a long period of ineptitude.
That’s not to say the franchise hasn’t had great players over the last 25 years. Bleacher Report recently named the Mount Rushmore for all 32 NFL teams since 2000. Here’s Washington’s four picks:
- LB London Fletcher
- Edge Ryan Kerrigan
- OT Chris Samuels
- OT Trent Williams
It’s hard to dispute this list. It’s way too early to include Daniels, who has only played one season. You could make serious arguments for current wide receiver, Terry McLaurin. Then, you could also make a strong case for Clinton Portis and Santana Moss. Chris Cooley was excellent, too, but probably falls a bit short compared to the rest of this list.
Fletcher played the final seven seasons of his 16-year career with Washington. During that time, he earned four trips to the Pro Bowl, was a two-time second-team All-Pro and is a member of the Commanders’ Ring of Fame. Fletcher should be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Kerrigan played 10 of his 11 NFL seasons with Washington. During that time, he recorded 95.5 sacks and set the franchise record—an easy pick. Kerrigan is now in his fourth season on Washington’s coaching staff.
It’s easy to forget that before Trent Williams, there was Chris Samuels. Samuels, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2000 NFL draft, started for the Redskins at left tackle for 10 seasons before he was forced into retirement after the 2009 season due to spinal stenosis. Samuels made six Pro Bowls in his 10 NFL seasons. He missed only eight games in his first nine seasons before the injury cost him 11 games during his final season. Samuels is in Washington’s Ring of Fame.
Trent Williams was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2010 NFL draft. He immediately replaced Samuels as the franchise left tackle. During his 10 seasons in Washington, Williams was named to the Pro Bowl seven times. Since being traded to San Francisco in 2020, Williams has made the Pro Bowl four more times and earned first-team All-Pro on three occasions.
All four players were selected for the “90 Greatest” list, which honors the top 90 players/coaches/executives in franchise history.
Who are your picks? Would you make any changes?
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Who is on the Commanders Mount Rushmore?