Lance Newmark knew the Washington Commanders would be challenging, but he is glad he came aboard.
Newmark was first actually hired by former Washington general manager Bobby Beathard, when Beathard was the GM of the Chargers in 1996. Being hired by the Detroit Lions in 1998, Newmark then spent the next 25 seasons with the Lions in various scouting capacities and player personnel.
Knowing the Commanders were 4-13 last season and haven’t had a winning regular season since 2015 and 2016, they are, to say the least, a challenge for their new assistant general manager.
Newmark met with the media on Thursday, declaring, “Every day, we’ve come in here with the attitude of trying to get this better, to make this team as competitive as it can be right away, while also trying to build a team that is going to be competitive for the long haul.”
It didn’t take long to recognize that Newmark and general manager Adam Peters are on the same page. Newmark was echoing much of what Peters told the press on Wednesday. “Every day, we just try to find ways to get better, to improve our roster, to improve our process, whether it’s free agency, the draft, workouts, going back on guys that have been hurt.”
“We try to look under every rock and find every opportunity to improve; we’re trying to do that as fast as we can.”
Newmark has been around a long time, working in the NFL for 28 consecutive seasons. This year, he began working with head coach Dan Quinn for the first time.
The front office, coaching staff, and roster have been overhauled. The DMV hopes this will result in more wins in 2024.