Saturday brought another reminder of just how ineffective Ron Rivera was as an NFL general manager.
Commanders Wire wanted sincerely to give Rivera the benefit of the doubt often when it came to personnel moves while Dan Snyder was still the team’s owner. However, after some time, evidence showed Snyder was less active than he had been in previous seasons.
The Commanders’ release of DT Phidarian Mathis on Saturday was predictable. It was predictable not in isolation but because it marked yet another example of Ron Rivera’s utter futility as a general manager.
In his four seasons, Rivera not only failed to produce a winning record, but his free agent acquisitions and draft selections are glaring examples of his deficiencies as a talent evaluator and a team roster constructor.
Anyone following the Commanders knows that Mathis has been released. We all noticed that despite being healthy, Mathis has been declared “inactive” for the last three games.
Ask yourself, “How many Commanders fans even remember the name of the defensive tackle elevated from the practice squad in substitution for Mathis in the last three weeks?” I guarantee you 50 percent wouldn’t come up with the name Carl Davis.
Davis is a journeyman at age 32, and the Commanders still have not signed him to the active roster. Yet, GM Adam Peters and HC Dan Quinn chose him for three consecutive weeks over Mathis.
Mathis being released raises the question if a contender needing some defensive tackle depth will now sign Mathis to their active roster. If not, will the Commanders sign Mathis to their practice squad?
As the 2024 regular season winds down, Rivera made 33 draft selections in his four seasons (2020-23). Only G Sam Cosmi, RB Brian Robinson, and S Quan Martin are starters, and only ten are still on the active roster.
You think about that.