The Washington Commanders are an American professional spring football team based in Washington, D.C., and the first member of the Alliance of American Football (AAF). The Commanders are led by head coach and former NFL quarterback, Steve Spurrier. The team began play on February 9th, 2019 at home against the Atlanta Legends at Audi Field. The Commanders were one of eight teams competing in AAF’s inaugural season, with all games televised nationally by CBS Sports Network and TNT.
The Commanders’ roster consists mostly of former college players from universities around the country, as well as some free agent veterans who have experience playing in the NFL or other professional leagues. The team has a few big names that could make an impact this season such as former Redskins running back Matt Jones, ex-Redskins receiver Rashad Ross and veteran linebacker Mason Foster. To lead their offense, Coach Spurrier has tabbed Kevin O’Connell to be his offensive coordinator while defensive coordinator is Jerry Glanville who was most recently with Georgia Southern University. The team also features several experienced coaches including offensive line coach Joe Bleymaier who was formerly with Florida State; wide receivers coach Ike Hilliard who played 12 years in the NFL; quarterbacks coach Craig Ver Steeg who spent time coaching at Rutgers; linebackers coach Pepper Johnson who was a 13 year pro player for both New England and Jets; and secondary/special teams coach Blake Gideon from Texas A&M University among others.
In addition to its coaching staff, the Commanders also have a plethora of talented players that can help them reach success this season such as quarterback Josh Woodrum from Liberty University; defensive end Daeshon Hall from Texas A&M University; safety Quin Blanding from Virginia Tech; linebacker Terrance Smith from Florida State University; cornerback Will Likely III from Maryland among others. All these players bring different skill sets which will help them be successful on both sides of the ball throughout their inaugural season in 2019. With an experienced coaching staff coupled with an array of talent on their roster – it looks like Washington is gearing up to make some noise in 2019! They’ll need to continue to work hard if they want to compete for a championship title but with Coach Spurrier leading them – it looks like they may be able to do just that!