The best part about the preseason is that the wins and losses don’t count. Coaches get 12 quarters of game time to evaluate players in an attempt to compile the best possible roster for the start of another marathon of a season. And Rivera’s squad could be surprisingly good, especially if his choice at quarterback — second-year passer Sam Howell, who has just one start under his belt in his young career — delivers a productive campaign.
But the time for boundless optimism is ending. Soon, the games will matter. The results will drive the narrative.
And as Harris noted Wednesday, that’s what matters most.
As for how Harris might operate as owner — regardless of who is coaching his club — he staked a position on Wednesday that intentionally differs from a division rival located in Dallas. Harris said he kept out of the war room when Washington trimmed its roster to 53, explaining “you want professionals picking the players,” per The Washington Post’s Sam Fortier. Harris doesn’t plan on entering the room in the future, either, leaving the job up to those on his staff.
He took another dig at the Cowboys when explaining his goals for returning the Commanders to prominence: “Dallas was not America’s team. Washington was.”
We’ll see if Rivera can help him make this a reality once more.