Washington's Rivera wants players 'to step up' after cancer diagnosis

Washington Football Team head coach Ron Rivera knows his recent cancer diagnosis will have challenges, but he's confident his players and coaching staff will step up.

"I'm going to struggle," Rivera said Saturday. "Those days that I do, I'm going to have to ask the coaches to step up and I'm going to have to ask the players to step up and take ownership.

"I understand the significance of what I'm going to be going through. I understand how tough it's going to be, but again, those days that I can be on the field, I will be on the field, and those days that I can't, I won't. If I'm there, it's business as usual. If I'm not, it's Plan B. I don't expect that to happen. I hope it doesn't happen."

Rivera's been diagnosed with squamous cell cancer, and he was told the form of cancer is treatable and curable. He shared the news with his team Thursday.

If Rivera struggles during his recovery, Washington's Plan B includes defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio acting as the interim head coach. Del Rio previously coached the Jacksonville Jaguars (2003-11) and then-Oakland Raiders (2015-17). He also served as the Denver Broncos interim head coach for multiple games in 2013 when head coach John Fox was sidelined due to medical reasons.

Though Rivera acknowledges the challenges ahead of the 2020 season, he believes his diagnosis could be a defining moment for his new team.

"Let's say (the) coach has to step back. Are we going to wait for somebody else to step up or are we going to step up ourselves?" he said. "I think this is all part of our growth. I really do. Again, it's going to be a learnable moment and we'll find out a lot more about ourselves."

Rivera joined Washington this offseason after spending the previous nine years on the Carolina Panthers sidelines. Washington finished the 2019 campaign 3-13, the team's worst record since 2013.