Josh Harris made his first significant hire last week, tapping Eugene Shen as the Washington Commanders’ Senior Vice President of Football Strategy.
Shen’s new position with the Commanders wasn’t scheduled to begin until Nov. 6, which is next week. However, Shen is already at work, according to head coach Ron Rivera.
With the Commanders trading defensive ends Montez Sweat and Chase Young before Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline, they wanted to receive the best possible value for the talented pass rushers. Enter Shen.
Rivera was asked if Tuesday was the best day to trade Young and Sweat because, as the saying goes, “deadlines spur action.”
“I think when you look at what the options were and what the opportunities were in terms of the value, and that’s where Eugene Shen comes in, is being able to talk about what the potential value is,” Rivera said. “Those things all came into play.”
To be clear, Rivera didn’t say Shen was in the building. But Harris, who relies heavily on analytics with his other franchises, wanted Shen’s expert input.
The Commanders received a second-round pick from Chicago for Sweat and a third-round pick from San Francisco for Young.
Now, the Commanders have nine picks in the 2024 NFL draft, including three expected to be inside the top 50.