Ron Rivera's hot seat still sizzles, but Commanders reset gives new lease on coaching life

For his first three years as head coach of the Washington Commanders, Ron Rivera was the face of an organization that became the most ridiculed in the NFL under previous owner Daniel Snyder.

With a new ownership in place and his fourth season at the helm in Washington approaching, the 13-year NFL head coach knows that 2023 is an audition for his future – and one in which he looks forward to focusing on just football.

“Every time I came in and had to answer your questions that weren't football-related, ‘What would it be like to just talk football?’” Rivera said at the start of training camp. “That’s what is exciting about it for me personally. The last few years, I honestly felt more like a manager.”

As issues surrounding workplace culture, sexual harassment and countless other off-field controversies mounted, it was Rivera who would step to the microphone and provide the team’s perspective while the front office and ownership seldom did more than issue news releases.

'FOOT IN MOUTH:'Commanders coach Ron Rivera walks back comments on Eric Bieniemy

To exacerbate the situation, Rivera was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma in Aug. 2020. He announced he was cancer-free the next year.

“He took it when he needed to,” assistant running backs coach Jennifer King told USA TODAY Sports. “And that was always his message for us, is just keep the main thing the main thing. Focus on what we could control and go out and put a product on the field. I’m sure behind the scenes, it might have been crazy for him, but in front of us, it was always steady, always calm.

“I don’t think a lot of people would have been able to do that.”

Not all is the same with Rivera, said quarterback Sam Howell. He has always been an energetic coach, but expects Rivera to be involved more on both sides of the ball this season. Rivera himself said he’s looking forward to be more involved in the defensive game planning with coordinator Jack Del Rio.   

“There is kind of a weight off his shoulders, where he can just come out here and coach ball and that's what he loves to do,” Howell said.

Nonetheless, training camp has proved to not be the smoothest sailing for Rivera in front of the microphone. The coach admitted to “putting my foot in my mouth” when discussing how offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy and his coaching style has been received by the players on that side of the ball.

Rivera, the lone Latino coach in the NFL, has never put together a winning season in three seasons in Washington despite winning the NFC East title in 2020 at 7-9. For the new ownership group, namely principal partner Josh Harris, to keep him around as they rebuild the organization in their vision, Rivera knows he will have to stack wins.

“Most certainly, I’ve got a lot to prove,” said Rivera, whose record with the franchise is 22-27-1. “We’ve put ourselves in a really good position with a good, young football team along with key veteran players and now is the opportunity to go.”

What Rivera has appreciated about Harris in the early days of working together is the discussion of “culture building” – part of the reason, Rivera acknowledged, he was brought to Washington by the previous regime amid the franchise's declining status.

Their aligning views on inclusivity and equity have been well-received by players and across the organization.

“I think that's important too, that people understand that from where we are to where we're going, we still have a lot of work to do,” Rivera said. “We're gonna take it one day at a time. But having somebody that's come in and said, ‘Hey, we're making the commitment to being supportive, giving you the tools that you guys need going forward,’ that is a very positive sign for us.”