Washington
Washington Commanders ‘Gotta Find the Left Tackle’ Says Former Coach Ron Rivera
Ron Rivera’s tenure leading the Washington Commanders didn’t end as well as anyone had hoped it would, with a four-win season capping off the most recent run of losing seasons – or at least lack of winning – the franchise has had to endure.
With the NFL Draft on the horizon, Rivera sat down with Keyshawn Johnson to discuss the state of the Commanders as he sees it, and what he feels they need to do moving forward to achieve what his rosters never could.
“I think trying to shore up the offensive line is (the) first thing,” Rivera said about priorities Washington needs to address short term. “Especially if you’re going after one of these young quarterbacks. You have to be able to protect them. There are some good, young, talented players that are still there. I think (guard) Sam Cosmi has a chance to really ascend and be a top-flight guard in this league, I really do. They got to find the left tackle, and if they do truly draft a quarterback, which everybody believes they’re going to do, I believe they’re going to do it too…they’ve gotta be able to protect him.”
Former Washington Commanders coach Ron Rivera recently identified three areas of need for the team that is expected to draft a quarterback in the first round of the NFL Draft.
Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Of course, Rivera also thought he had found a potential franchise-leading quarterback by drafting Sam Howell out of North Carolina in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Two years later neither of them is with the Commanders and this new group led by general manager Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn are undertaking the same quest Rivera did.
But it’s not all about the quarterback, and it’s not even all about the left tackle. Any quarterback, young or older, needs weapons.
While Washington has some talented ones already on the roster one group stands out as needing an influx of talent above all the rest on offense.
“They’ve got to solidify the tight end spot,” he continued. “I know they went on and brought in Zach Ertz, which is I think a really good move. He’s a veteran guy that’s still got good football left in him that’s going to help that group of young tight ends continue to develop even more.”
With nine picks total heading into Thursday and six of those in the first 100 selections of the NFL Draft Peters and Quinn are in a great position to stack new talent on the roster and address several areas of need including those identified by Rivera.
Stick with CommanderGameday for more coverage of the Washington Commanders throughout the NFL Draft
Washington
Holdout Democrats leave WA House support for income tax in doubt
Washington
Bill strengthening Washington child sex abuse material laws focuses on consciousness, AI
SEATTLE — A bill aimed at tightening Washington’s laws on child sex abuse material is headed to Gov. Bob Ferguson’s desk after clearing the Legislature unanimously.
King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion said 2ESSB 5105 passed the House unanimously Tuesday night after the Senate unanimously approved it on Jan. 28, 2026.
SEE ALSO | Washington exempts clergy from reporting abuse learned in confession after settlement
Manion called the measure one of her public safety legislative priorities.
“People who peddle in the misery of sexually abused children must be held accountable,” Manion said. “I am grateful for the work of Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Laura Harmon – both in prosecuting these cases and advocating for these legal fixes – and Senators Tina Orwall and Manka Dhingra for championing this legislation.”
Manion’s office said the current state law has gaps that can prevent prosecutors from holding offenders accountable in some cases.
Under current law, prosecutors cannot charge defendants for creating images of child sex abuse unless the child victim was conscious or knew they were being recorded.
The office also said that possessing sexually explicit fabricated (AI) images of non-identifiable minors is not considered child sex abuse material under Washington law.
The bill would update RCW 9.68A.040 to remove the requirement that a child be aware of an abusive recording. It would also update the definition of child sex abuse material to include fabricated (AI) images of non-identifiable minors.
The legislation would also increase the statute of limitations to 10 years for depiction crimes. Manion’s office said the current statute of limitations is three years, and argued that because the images can remain online indefinitely, victims can be re-traumatized for decades.
Washington
Utah Starts Road Trip with Win in Washington | Utah Mammoth
Both of Utah’s power play units scored in the win. Sergachev scored his 10th goal of the season on the power play 13 and a half minutes into the first period. Peterka scored his 21st of the season, on the man-advantage, in the final two minutes of the middle frame.
Peterka has three power play goals in the 2025-26 campaign while Sergachev has matched a career-high with five power play goals this season. Overall, Utah’s power play has scored six goals in the last six games. That output matches the Mammoth’s total from their previous 18 games (per Mammoth PR). Tourigny discussed what’s changed with the team’s performance in recent games.
“(The) puck gets in,” Tourigny laughed. “But, no, I think there’s a number of things. The most important thing is we’re aggressive. We’re attacking.
“…If you look at our goal, the first one, it’s a direct play to the net and then on the loose puck recovery we take a shot with traffic and we score,” Tourigny continued. “On the second one, it’s a slot pass, a great shot by (Peterka). I think we had that attack mindset.”
Guenther, who is on the Mammoth’s top power play unit, agreed with Tourigny’s assessment of attacking more.
“I think just attacking, less predictable,” Guenther explained. “Shooting it more, I think (it is) just work really. Trying to play like a 5-on-5 mindset but on the (power play).”
The Mammoth made several line changes for tonight’s game and the new lines started to find chemistry, despite it being the first game with these changes.
“I like them,” Tourigny said of the changes. “Obviously (Guenther) got a goal, but Cooley’s line was really good. I was looking at the expected goals at the end, I think they were above 90%. So that’s pretty, pretty awesome. Then I think (Barrett Hayton’s) line worked really hard. They’re heavy on pucks and they play well defensively. I did like (Michael Carcone’s) line in (the) previous three games, and I did like them again tonight.”
When Washington pushed back with a power play goal and multiple close chances in the third period, Utah fought hard against the momentum swing to secure the win.
“I thought we did a pretty good job,” Keller explained. “Weathering the storm as much as we could. They’re a great veteran team. They made it hard on us. They pressured us all over the ice, but I was proud of the way we fought there towards the end.”
Utah’s bench was positive and calm throughout the game, especially late in the third. This helped the Mammoth through the momentum swings. Keller, who had two assists in the win, was one of the key voices for the Mammoth.
“He’s one of the guys who was really positive on the bench,” Tourigny explained. “(All the players) were but (Keller) was really vocal. He was really good energy on the bench. So that was really good.”
Additional Notes from Tonight (per Mammoth PR)
- Guenther had two points in the win (1G, 1A) and the forward has earned a team-high nine points (5G, 4A) through six road games in 2026. He has become the third Mammoth skater to reach the 50-point mark this season (28G, 23A) and established a new career-high in goals.
- Sergachev has 18 power play points this season (5G, 13A) and is tied with Keller for the team lead this season.
- Keller has recorded multiple primary assists in a game for the seventh time this season and the 27th time in his NHL career. He has now tallied multiple points in four of his last six contests (2G, 8A), with three multi-assist outings over that span.
The Mammoth continue their five-game road trip in Philadelphia on Thursday night. Game time is 5 p.m. MT and available to watch on Mammoth+ and Utah16.
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