Cover photo taken from NBC4 Washington.
July 13, 2020 was a day that every single fan of this team will never forget. After 87 years filled with history and plenty of ups and downs, the NFL team that resides in the nation’s capital would no longer be called the Redskins. Many saw it as the right move, considering the years of backlash from those who believed the name was derogatory and racist. Some hated it and were very against the very idea of being called anything but that name. But, on that fateful summer day in the middle of a global pandemic, this team was the Washington Football Team, effective immediately, with a proper name to come at a later date.
Say what you want about that “name change”, but I truly believe that over the last two seasons as the WFT, the once wacky placeholder grew on all of us. It got to the point that, by the time that an actual new name was upon us, half of the fanbase wanted to keep the Football Team moniker. Realistically, that was never an option. Just before the end of the regular season, the team announced that its new chapter with a new name, logo, and uniforms would begin on February 2nd. After weeks of mock-ups, speculation, and leaks, the reveal was finally upon us. We are now the Washington Commanders.
I have a lot of thoughts on the new name, logo, unis, and more, but I want to preface all of them by saying one thing. The internet absolutely hates change. Every time a team unveils a new uniform or logo or anything, it is met with nothing but resistance. But, sometimes we lighten up to those things. I’m old enough to remember when everyone hated the new Rams and Bengals uniforms. Now, we can’t wait to see them in next week’s Super Bowl. So, what I am doing is something I advise all of my fellow Washington fans to do. Please just marinate in this for a little bit. This decision has been made and there’s nothing we can do, so the least we can do is lighten up. With that being said, here are some of my initial thoughts on the rebrand.
The Name
Guys, I get it. I promise. This isn’t the ideal name for the team. Fans and players alike will tell you that. But, I don’t think this was the worst option in the world. When the team revealed their shortlist of name candidates, I physically cringed at the idea that I’d be cheering for a team called the “Armada” or “Brigade”. I personally really wanted the Red Hogs, seeing as though it gives a nod to the past of both the team and the fans. Take the Cleveland Guardians rebrand, for example. The name Guardians is very similar to Indians, with just one syllable being changed. Similarly, Red Hogs is just one syllable different than Redskins, and it has a hell of a lot more of a personality than Commanders or most NFL team names for that matter. There’s a lot of potential there for logos and shortened nicknames, and I think it was a missed opportunity. Still, while it wasn’t my top choice, I think one day I’ll fully get behind it. Just remember that it could have been a lot worse.
The Logo
This isn’t bad. While I miss having an actual logo instead of a boring old letter, you have to admit that this W is a lot better than the one we’ve seen since 2020. It’s tighter and has more personality, especially considering the new name. “Commanders” is a nod to the military, as team owner Dan Snyder said himself, and this W just looks a lot more militaristic. I personally don’t care about that, but I do think this is a solid logo. There isn’t a lot of room to make a good logo with a name like the Commanders (which wouldn’t have been a problem with Red Hogs, but I digress), so I can get behind this.
The Uniforms
Anyone who knows me knows how crazy I am about uniforms. I’ll never be able to explain it, but I care way, way too much. So, this was easily the part of the rebrand that I was most terrified of. The very idea that this team was overhauling their uniform for the first time in history was daunting, and I had a feeling they would screw it up. But, I don’t think they did… entirely.
Let’s start with the home unis. Of the three that were unveiled on Wednesday, these are easily my favorites. I honestly love everything about this uni other than the lines above and below the “Commanders” stitching above the numbers on the front. But, I do recognize that gives these jerseys a bit more personality. I also absolutely love the new helmets. The logo looks perfect on them, and between the finish, the return of a stripe, and the burgundy face masks, the helmet is easily my favorite part of the uniform. I will say that, as an avid hater of our all-burgundy combinations in the past, I’m not a fan of us moving to all-burgundy as a permanent home option. However, I’m confident that we’ll see some mixing and matching with the away whites as well. Let’s see those now.
This is where things get a little interesting. I’m not surprised that the team is choosing all-white as a permanent choice for the road, seeing as though we wore all-white more times in 2021 than any season I can remember. We all love the look, seeing as though it is both classic and ice cold. The new away unis are very interesting, especially in the numbering department. The numbers feature a strange new gradient design, similar to what the Rams unveiled in 2020. The shoulder stripes also feature gradients, but with diamonds instead. This was said to be reflective of DC’s diamond shapes and road designs, so that’s cute. I prefer the home set over these, but I think these unis will look a lot better on the field and in game. Poor Chase couldn’t even put on the bottoms as he continues recovering from his ACL injury. In any case, the true controversy lies with the third and final uniform set.
So, this is new. For the first time in team history, we are going to be in black. That’s cool and all as a concept, but these uniforms are going to take a while to get used to. I will say that I think the gold numbers look fantastic on these jerseys, and their simplicity on the surface is the best part of this whole set. The Commanders patch over the left shoulder pad is an interesting choice, and also clearly influenced by the Rams rebrand of two years past. I might be in the minority here, but I also am a fan of the shoulder patches. The DC flag being on this uniform is a fantastic choice. During this team’s attempts to gain a more positive image in the public eye, they have put an emphasis on getting the people of this city back in love with their football team. The nods to the District in these jerseys is a fantastic way of keeping that up. There are two parts of this uniform that I am not a fan of, however. The first of which isn’t visible in the above photo of Jonathan Allen, and that’s the lines above and below the names on the back of the jersey. That’s just tacky, and it ruins the simplicity that I referenced on the front of the jersey. The other is the helmet, which is the first alternate helmet revealed in the NFL. Having the numbers on the sides is a cute nod to the WFT, but having the logo smack in the middle and on the front of the helmet is one of the more questionable choices of this entire rebrand. I just can’t get behind it right now, but hopefully it looks better on the field than in pictures.
All in all, I really don’t mind this rebrand. It’s a massive change, and that is naturally going to cause some discomfort among fans and rivals alike. But I truly think that this is going to be the start of a great era for this football team. My optimism with this team has always come back to bite me, and I do recognize that we won’t be good any time soon, but at least now we have something to look forward to. In any case, with any name and any uniform on earth, I will always Hail.
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