Will we see the Commanders on HBO this year?
Over the years, many NFL fans have become familiar with the rules that govern which teams can (or can’t) be forced to appear on Hard Knocks, the popular HBO series that fans love, but which is often perceived as a potential disruption or distraction to the team-building process that takes place during training camp.
One of the rules that allowed a huge number of teams to opt out of appearing on the program was that a team that had made a playoff appearance in either of the prior two seasons was exempt.
Suddenly, that rule is gone, and that changes things considerably.
Hard Knocks has loosened its rules on which teams can be forced into the Training Camp edition.
The new rules for who CAN’T be forced to participate:
— Teams with a first-year head coach
— Teams featured in that season’s in-season edition (covering a full division)
— Teams on… pic.twitter.com/InF6x6u5VU— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) April 3, 2025
20 teams now available for this year’s Hard Knocks
ARI, ATL, BAL, BUF, CAR, CIN, DEN, GB, HOU, KC, IND, MIA, MIN, NYG, PHI, PIT, SF, SEA, TEN, WSH
— DraftKings (@DraftKings) April 3, 2025
With the Commanders having been in the most recent NFC playoffs, we’d all been working under the assumption that they would be exempt from being forced to appear on Hard Knocks in ‘25 or ‘26. With the change in eligibility rules, it’s now possible that the league owners could choose to feature the Commanders on Hard Knocks.
I may be biased because of my personal devotion to the Washington franchise, but I think that most NFL fans would find a season of Hard Knocks that focuses on the burgundy & gold to be compelling viewing.
The most obvious reason is fan fascination with Jayden Daniels who is popular for all the right reasons. Coming off of his incredible rookie season, I suspect NFL fans would love to get a deeper look at the player and the man.
The core of the team’s success in 2024, however, seemed to be the head coach, Dan Quinn, who proved to be anything but a tired ‘retread’. On the contrary, Quinn showed up in Washington last year invigorated and committed to applying what he’d learned from the past — both his successes and failures. I can’t help but think that his presence would add to the television viewing experience.
Likewise, his coaching staff, and in particular, offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, should hold wide appeal to NFL fans, many of whom held strong opinions about the former Cardinals head coach. Coverage of the “Kliff cliff” in the second half of last season made for entertaining headlines and panel discussions on ESPN as disaster was first predicted and then failed to materialize as the Commanders were among the most prolific offenses in the league and the team had playoff success that had eluded Washington for over three decades.
Another factor in the making of good TV is variety. Dan Quinn, this week, confirmed that the team is interested in holding joint practices with two teams again this year. Mike Vrabel said that the Patriots were talking to the Washington brass about hosting the Commanders in camp. Joint practices offer a nice change of pace to the makers of Hard Knocks, who have the opportunity to weave in some alternate story lines.
Of course, the Commanders’ Cinderella 2024 season has its own appeal, as it provides a lot of grist for the mill in Episode 1 of the six-part series. The Hard Knocks crew would have a treasure trove of exciting finishes and winning time moments to review from 2024, not to mention the ability to celebrate the early success of the league’s newest ownership group.
The Washington team has never been featured on Hard Knocks, though a brawl (or series of brawls) between the Redskins and Houston Texans during joint practices ended up featured on the 2015 iteration of the series, which covered the Texans’ training camp. With the ownership change that occurred two years ago, it may be time for Washington to emerge from the shadows and return to its former position as a featured franchise of the NFL.
With 20 of 32 teams now eligible for the 2025 season of Hard Knocks, there will be several teams that could offer compelling storylines, but I suspect that the Commanders story in 2025 would garner as much interest from NFL fans as any other and more than most.
I’m not necessarily trying to pitch an appearance on Hard Knocks to Commmanders fans. The potential for distraction and disruption seems very real, and I don’t want anything to interfere with the payoff that the team should enjoy for all the hard work being put in by all of the coaches and players. That said, I certainly would tune in with interest every week if the league chose Washington to be featured in the next season of Hard Knocks.