Commanders safety Jeremy Reaves ‘itching’ to get back on the field

Jeremy Reaves is ready to get back on the field.

The 2023 NFL season was forgettable on many levels for the Washington Commanders. Washington began the season with a new owner and a head coach entering his fourth season who had yet to have a winning record with the Commanders.

Things went as expected, with Washington going 4-13 and opening the door for massive change this offseason. One thing no one expected was the Commanders going from a top-10 defense to the worst in the NFL.

Then there were the injuries. In Washington’s ugly Thursday Night Football loss to the Bears in Week 5, special teams standout and team captain Jeremy Reaves suffered a knee injury. Unfortunately, Reaves was lost for the season, meaning the Commanders lost one of their best special teams players and one of their leaders.

The injury came at a bad time for Reaves. He was set to enter unrestricted free agency, and with a new regime, there was no guarantee one of the team’s most popular players would return.

Head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Adam Peters quickly saw Reaves’ value and brought him back on a two-year contract. The Commanders allowed most of their free agents to leave.

Washington opened Offseason Training Activities (OTAs) two weeks ago, and Reaves admitted this week that he was itching to get back.

“I’m hungry, I wouldn’t say hungry, I’m starving, and I’m just anxious,” Reaves said. “I’ve been away from football since October, and it’s been itching at me.”

How does Reaves remain so strong after all he’s been through?

“Adversity builds character,” Reaves said. “I firmly believe that. I firmly believe that everything that happens to you builds you to be who you’re supposed to be.”

Reaves remains as positive as ever. One of the reasons Quinn and Peters wanted to retain Reaves is he’s a culture builder. The Commanders are trying to win now, but they’re also trying to develop a system of how to do things. Players like Reaves, Terry McLaurin and Jonathan Allen are ideal examples of the types of players you want to build a foundation with.