The Washington Commanders have more weapons than they have ever had during Ron Rivera’s tenure as the head coach, from Terry McLaurin to Jahan Dotson and Curtis Samuel. 

It was a priority for the Commanders to surround Carson Wentz with weapons this offseason. They did that, and now they need to make sure they are using all those playmakers the right way. That, Rivera said, will be the biggest area of growth from the offense in the first quarter of the season.

"You're going to have five play makers on the field at a time, but there's only one ball," Rivera said. "And so it's really going to be about, 'What is your role? What is your responsibility?'" 

Those two questions will be answered clearly when offensive coordinator Scott Turner introduces the game plan each week. Each player, Rivera said, will "know exactly what his role is and how he fits into that game plan." 

Once the game begins, the focus shifts to finding the best matchups and figuring out how to exploit them. The best way to do that, Rivera said, is by having a long, sustainable opening drive. That will give them a better sense of how to call the game going forward. 

"You'll see, 'Wow, this is a matchup we're winning. We got to continue to exploit it. We got to go at that,'" Rivera said. "Or, 'You know what, we're struggling over here, but over here, it's pretty good, let's go back to this side.'" 

That approach expands into the first quarter of the season. Of course, winning is the ultimate goal, but Rivera and his coaching staff also want to see which players are establishing themselves as bigger threats to defenses, why they are winning their matchups and how to take advantage of that. 

"Those first three, four, five games, you will be able to gauge where you are and obviously what you've got to improve on and what you've got to continue to be good at," Rivera said. 

The Commanders should have plenty of opportunities to do that in the first two weeks, as they take on the Jacksonville Jaguars and Detroit Lions. The season begins at home against the Jaguars on Sept. 11 at 1 p.m.

Here's a morning roundup of what the local and national media have to say about the Washington Commanders on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022. All reports, rumors and conjecture are a reflection of the media conversation and are not endorsed or confirmed by the Washington Commanders.

The reports and deals expressed in this article have not been confirmed by Washington, nor do they reflect any insider information from anyone in the front office.

• The Washington Post's Nicki Jhabvala and Sam Fortier write about the Commanders' coverage and pass rush working together.
• The Washington Post's Sam Fortier also breaks down the Commanders' 2022 schedule.
• The Washington Time's Matthew Paras writes about the Commanders' defensive continuity.
• The Washington Time's Matthew Paras also writes about the Commanders' weapons allowing Carson Wentz to succeed.
• NBC Sports Washington's Ethan Cadeaux looks at the Commanders' unofficial depth chart.
• NBC Sports Washington's Matt Weyrich reports on the Commanders' new team dog.
• The Washington Times' Matthew Paras looks at how the players around Carson Wentz allow the QB to do more.
• NBC Sports Washington's Peter Hailey writes about Coach Ron Rivera's thoughts ahead of facing the Jaguars.
• The Washington Post's Nicki Jhabvala reports on the news that Ryan Kerrigan is now the Commanders assistant defensive line coach.
• The Washington Post's Sam Fortier writes that Jamin Davis is making progress in Year 2 with the Commanders.
• The Washington Post's Nicki Jhabvala writes about the Commanders believing in Carson Wentz.
• The Washington Time's Matthew Paras looks at the Commanders' excitement about Armani Rogers.
• The Washington Time's Matthew Paras reports on Ryan Kerrigan being announced as one of the team's 90 greatest players.

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• 'He's a freak': Cole Holcomb, Ron Rivera praise Milo Eifler for earning roster spot
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• Dax Milne eager to continue proving himself in Year 2
• Commanders announce inductees to 'Greatest Players' list
• 5 takeaways from Washington's initial 53-man roster
• Commanders announce practice squad
• Commanders claim CBs Tariq Castro-Fields, Rachad Wildgoose off waivers
• Transformative potential of girls’ flag football on display at Commanders’ Nike Kickoff Classic initiative
• A closer look at the Washington Commanders' initial 53-man roster
• Media roundup | Ron Rivera reflects on initial 53-man roster