Throughout the course of the first season of the Commanders’ rebuild, I wrote two articles on the timelines of NFL team rebuilds.
After the opening day loss to the Buccaneers, and an unconvincing win over the Giants, frustration and disappointment began to take hold in the Hogs Haven discussion threads. To help readers set reasonable expectations for the seasons ahead, I published an in depth look at the most recent comparable rebuilds:
How Long Does it Take to Rebuild a Team in Today’s NFL?
That article identified four teams between 2017 and 2021 that rebuilt to playoff contention starting from similar baselines to the 2024 Commanders ( < 6 wins in Year 0 and/or extended playoff drought, new front office, new coaching staff, > 50% roster turnover).