The Washington Commanders had an impressive summer, finishing the preseason with a 3-0 record. Of course, going undefeated — or winless — in the preseason doesn’t matter once we get to Week 1.
But for the Commanders, this preseason was different. It was Washington’s first under a new owner. Josh Harris officially took over as the Commanders’ owner on July 20, and optimism has followed the team since.
Quarterback Sam Howell officially won the starting job, and some of the skepticism surrounding him has many wondering if they were wrong.
So, a new owner, an unbeaten preseason, and a promising young quarterback should have folks a bit higher on the Commanders than before training camp, right?
Washington’s over/under was set at 6.5 wins this summer, with many predicting the under. Nate Davis of USA TODAY Sports predicted the record of every NFL team ahead of training camp. He had the Commanders going 7-10.
The #NFL is back in full force this week, so here's what you've been waiting for! https://t.co/g2eWXEJjMa pic.twitter.com/2sCzRgh5PZ
— Nate Davis (@ByNateDavis) July 24, 2023
This week, Davis gave his final regular-season record projections for 2023. Nothing changed for the Commanders.
With the 2023 preseason complete, I've given my #NFL regular-season record projections a few tweaks: pic.twitter.com/IeQsvnakXK
— Nate Davis (@ByNateDavis) August 31, 2023
Nothing changed. Of course, nothing changed for the rest of the NFC East, either. The good news is Davis sees the Commanders finishing higher than the New York Giants in 2023.
A 7-10 season is not what anyone with Washington envisions for 2023. If that happens, there will be wholesale changes from Harris in 2024.