It’s a new day in Redskins Park, and things are heading in a different direction.
We all knew that Ron Rivera was going to change a lot of things when he came in as the new head coach. It started with the removal of a ping pong table in the locker room, a sign that the time for goofing around was over in Washington. There have been several hints at the changes that are coming for the Redskins over the last few months, all signaling a culture-shift, but nothing was more obvious than the moves that were made on Monday.
In a matter of hours, the Redskins made a trade for backup QB Kyle Allen, a former Carolina Panther, released safety Montae Nicholson, and traded cornerback Quinton Dunbar. Each of these moves is significant in setting a path forward and says a lot about what Rivera thinks of his team.
By acquiring Allen, Rivera showed his confidence in QB Dwayne Haskins and signaled that he is the man going forward. Though Allen is a highly-competent backup, and can definitely perform when called upon, he likely won’t take the starting job from Haskins, like other QB signings might have. As for the release of Nicholson, this was somewhat expected, but extremely necessary. Nicholson has been a decent product on the field in the past few years, but his proneness to injury and nack for off-field issues makes him a liability for any coach going forward, and Rivera chose to cut him loose.
As for Dunbar, it was a tough decision, but one that most significantly affects the lockerroom culture going forward. Dunbar is a great player at one of the Redskins’ biggest areas of need on the defense. Still, though, Dunbar had little desire to be in Washingon unless they gave him a contract extension, and Rivera had little reason to do so, seeing as he hadn’t seen Dunbar’s value first-hand. Shipping Dunbar to Washington State is a win-win for both parties. The Redskins only got a fifth-round pick in return for Dunbar, who is arguably worth more, but it was clear that Rivera was willing to take very little in order to secure his strong culture of players who wanted to be in Washington.
“If they’re not all in, if they’re not willing to do it your way, it’s time to f—– get rid of those guys,” Rivera famously said in a December story on NFL.com, just days before taking over as the Redskins head coach.
Dunbar wasn’t all-in, so Rivera got rid of him. Nicholson presented some problems, so Rivera got rid of him. Allen is a hard worker who will make Haskins better, so Rivera traded for him.
It’s a new day in Washington, and things are being set on a clear path. Ron Rivera wants players who are dedicated to him, and not out for themselves. If you’re with that, he’s with you.
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