What does success look like in 2026?

[burgold]

I think it's time to tackle the big question. What does success look like for you in 2026?

Will you measure it in wins?
Will you measure it in player/coach growth?
Will you measure it in health?
Will you use some other criteria like accolades, ProBowl noms, ROTY, noms, etc.?

For me, the primary metric is wins. Ten or more wins equals a successful season.
The secondary is growth and development. I want to see our coordinators grow into the job and get better and better as the year goes. I want to see clean, disciplined football with few false starts, delays of games, or other mental errors. Likewise, I want to see JD5 and Mikey and others return to form/improve, the new players gel, and for Peters' draftees to take several steps forward in their development. Heatlth goes without saying, but while it's crucial to success, by itself I won't measure it's not enough. As for other criteria, it'd be great to make it back to the playoffs and make some noise. It'd also be great if Styles and Williams got some rookie of the year love. I don't know that they need to win, but they need to be in the running. Despite being a third rounder, I think Williams has a shot. Given the thinness of our wide receiver room, I think he has a chance to receive a lot of targets. Styles should be central to our defense's success so if he's in the running the D is doing well.

 

[Kalu44]

Lower bar for me. I just want to see JD get through an entire season healthy. If he does (and plays well as expected) that will do it for me. Wins are great, but knowing you have a QB1 who can make it through a year will get me more excited for the team’s long term outlook.

In a far second place is the defense getting back to being respectable. I’d settle for a 15th ranked defense this year.

 

[Commander Wraith]

Not at all suggesting it should be the top metric, but for me it’s about competence. If both sides of the ball look competent, we’ve then (in theory) got coordinators that didn’t look lost and have room to grow - on their own, but also with their personnel, which in turn means Peters can focus on specific upgrades that, along with the continuity, can allow us to take another (hopefully significant) step forward in ‘27.
If either side of the ball looks pretty poor, the reset button is almost certainly getting pushed. Maybe not the worst thing in the long run, but not my preference ATM.

 

[NoCalSkins]

Winning is always the metric that can cover up other issues so putting that aside, I want to see this defense make some strides to show that there is a solid foundation of something strong being built. I don't expect a Top 10 defense yet but I want to see a defense that can rise to the occasion in big game moments & scenarios. I want to see a defense that is capable of changing momentum in close games. I want to see a D-Coordinator that makes smart decisions with personnel and in pivitol moments in the game.

I still think the offense is going to ultimately be fine as long as JD5 is healthy, so I have less concerns that the personnel doesn't jump out on paper.

With two new coordinators and a lot of young personnel likely to get a lot of playing time I am more interested in how this team looks once we get to November & December than how they look right out of the gate. How this team handles the schedule before the bye week is likely going to determine the chances of a playoff berth being possible. Worst case scenario the chances could be buried by the time they get to the break but .500 or better would be somewhat of a good enough indication that they should be able to put together some win streaks as the season goes on.

 

[burgold]

I really don't know that there is a wrong answer in this thread. I do lean towards this year being a little bit more about next year so if success is about coaching growth, if it's about defensive progression, if it's about Daniels making it through a season unscathed... all of those sound good to me.

 

[bowhunter]

Balance. A defense that can step up when the offense is struggling and can close the game. An offense that is an equal threat whether running or passing. Communication and cohesion. If those things happen we can be a competitive team and should win more than we lose.

 

[leonard_washington]

No blowout losses

 

[Faithful Fan]

If Jayden stays healthy, learns to play under center, and plays at or above the level of his rookie year, then I will call that success, because that will prove he is not just another RG3, and we really do have our franchise quarterback.

As for wins and losses, I’m not expecting much given how brutal the first half of the season looks, but anything above .500 would be good.

 

[Canadian Hog]

If Jayden stays healthy, learns to play under center, and plays at or above the level of his rookie year, then I will call that success, because that will prove he is not just another RG3, and we really do have our franchise quarterback.

As for wins and losses, I’m not expecting much given how brutal the first half of the season looks, but anything above .500 would be good.

This is exactly where I am at as well. The long-term health of this franchise is dependent on Jayden's health and development as a pocket passer. He's got the ability to be that player as we have seen, but scrambling and running the ball on 1 out of every 6 drop backs is not going to cut it. He had the highest scramble rate in the entire NFL last year. If Jayden is running for his life, it's not going to be pretty or end well.

 

[Faithful Fan]

This is exactly where I am at as well. The long-term health of this franchise is dependent on Jayden's health and development as a pocket passer.

Yes, that’s my thinking, our fate is tied to Jayden’s health and development, so that’s the key.

He's got the ability to be that player as we have seen, but scrambling and running the ball on 1 out of every 6 drop backs is not going to cut it. He had the highest scramble rate in the entire NFL last year. If Jayden is running for his life, it's not going to be pretty or end well.

I disagree about asking him not to run the ball. Scrambling probably does put him at greater risk for injury, but that’s just part and parcel of drafting a running quarterback, and running to extend a play or pick up a needed first down is one of Jayden’s super powers. I think it would be a mistake to handicap him for fear of injury, we just have to hope he proves to be more durable going forward.

 

[RedWolf]

How many years has it been since we had a shutout? I'm keeping my expectations low and would be happy for two of those!

IMO?
Dominate defense (Gregg!)
OL gels and becomes a force
JD healthy the ENTIRE season
RB room shines
Innovative O, certain players stepping up
10+ wins
Wild Card playoff minimum

That's a long ask, I know

I'm sure that's the same for every other team that was in the bottom 16 last year LOL

 

[Always Commander Never Captain]

How many years has it been since we had a shutout? I'm keeping my expectations low and would be happy for two of those!

IMO?
Dominate defense (Gregg!)
JD healthy the entire season
Innovative O, people stepping up
10+ wins
Wild Card playoff minimum

That's a long ask, I know

I think the last time was also the last Super Bowl season. So it's been 35 years.

 

[The Rook]

Competitive on both sides of line and competent/ inspiring coaching. Progress on players.



The Rook

 

[HTTR]

Not willing to settle for less! But if I was…playoff contention and a fully healthy Jayden would be good enough for me to call it successful

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

"You are what your record says you are." - Bill Parcells. The cantankerous old bastard was right about that. (as an aside, that's my second favorite Parcells quote. The first is, when talking to a trainer about whether his kicker could play: "He doesn't have to play, he has to kick." ** (VOR: Kickers are people too!)

If you’re a good team, the schedule doesn’t matter that much.

Anything less than 10 wins is going to be a disappointment to me.

 

[Welsh Redskin]

I’d like to see us above .500 with JD healthy. However, I do think that .500 might not be enough for DQ this year. I think he’s on the Hot Seat this year and Front Office expectations will be high given the spending in Free Agency.

 

[burgold]

I’d like to see us above .500 with JD healthy. However, I do think that .500 might not be enough for DQ this year. I think he’s on the Hot Seat this year and Front Office expectations will be high given the spending in Free Agency.

+.500 and the two new coordinators hitting their groove wold probably be enough. Harris seems like a patient dude. The problem with firing Quinn if either Jones or Blough hits is that you probably lose both. Most new HC's want their own guy. If one of the coordinators hit and you want to keep/elevate them that's pretty unusual.

So my hope is that Quinn sticks around and then retires and Blough steps up in let's say two years.

 

[washington football]

9 wins and competitive in every game with the belief that after next years draft team will be a real contender. I dont think from the Rivera era we have any of are first or second rd picks on the team.

There a shortage of impact players on this team. We have a Qb, which is great but we need more piece. The Qb is good enough to keep us in ever game. We need to really build up the depth on this team.

 

[Skinfanjon]

Just have a real season. I want to see Jayden on the field and a functional offense and defense. Have meaningful games at Thanksgiving and December time. The roster needs another offseason to elevate into a legitimate contender on paper, but as we were reminded in 2024, momentum is real and the energy around a team absolutely matters. It's probably not enough to slay the true contenders like the Rams, but you can make some noise with it. To me there are three injuries we can't survive for more than a couple games right now and that's Jayden, Terry, and Tunsil.

If those guys stay healthy, I feel pretty good about our chances of hanging around all year. I do wish the schedule wasn't so brutal but if we can hang around .500 until about week 12, it's on.