The Washington Commanders’ players and coaches have spent months preparing for this weekend — Friday’s preseason finale and Sunday’s dreaded roster cutdown day.
Players throughout Washington’s 90-man offseason roster have spent training camp desperately trying to show enough to survive the culling to just 53 players.
If they can’t stick with the Commanders, players on the bubble like linebacker Ale Kaho and wide receiver Dyami Brown will at least hope to have accumulated enough film to land on another NFL roster.
Here’s an early projection for what the Commanders’ slimmed-down roster will look like following Sunday’s cuts.
Injured reserve/physically unable to perform: Laremy Tunsil, Jer’Zhan Newton, Deatrich Wise.
The Commanders are likely to start the season with a handful of players on that list.
Wise, a defensive end, has spent all of training camp rehabbing a torn quadriceps muscle that he suffered in Week 2 of last season. He’ll likely keep his physically unable to perform tag to start the campaign. He’d be able to return to the active roster after sitting out the first four games.
Tunsil, a left tackle, and Newton, a defensive lineman, have a longer road to recovery. They’re expected to miss the bulk of the season with torn triceps and a torn pec, respectively.
Quarterbacks: Jayden Daniels, Marcus Mariota, Athan Kaliakmanis.
NFL teams typically keep two or three quarterbacks on the active roster throughout the regular season. Under coach Dan Quinn and general manager Adam Peters, Washington has erred on the side of caution with three signal-callers.
Daniels is the clear starter, but he’s accumulated injuries through his first two NFL seasons.
Mariota, who has 104 games of NFL experience, missed most of training camp due to a knee sprain. Quinn said he expects the 2014 Heisman Trophy winner to be ready for the regular season.
Kaliakmanis and Sam Hartman have split the backup reps during camp.
Kaliakmanis, a seventh-round selection from Rutgers, has looked more polished than Hartman during preseason exhibitions and training camp practices.
Running backs: Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Rachaad White, Kaytron Allen, Robert Henry Jr.
Croskey-Merritt and White have missed recent practices due to lower-body injuries.
Sixth-round rookie Allen and undrafted free agent Henry have taken the majority of snaps with the first-team offense, with both youngsters showing enough to impress coaches and teammates.
With veteran Jeremy McNichols also missing the majority of training camp, Allen and Henry have a clear path to the 53-man roster.
Wide receivers: Terry McLaurin, Stefon Diggs, Antonio Williams, Jaylin Lane, Luke McCaffrey, Treylon Burks.
The wide receiver group was a lingering question throughout the offseason. Signing Diggs moved everyone else — including third-round rookie Williams and return specialists Lane and McCaffrey — down the depth chart.
It left Burks battling for the sixth receiver spot with fellow veterans Van Jefferson and Dyami Brown, who could be cut casualties on Sunday.
Tight ends: Chig Okonkwo, John Bates, Ben Sinnott, Colson Yankoff.
The tight ends were Washington’s most stable throughout camp. Okonkwo quickly developed a rapport, while Bates continued to flex his blocking prowess. Sinnott and Yankoff offer valuable depth for new offensive coordinator David Blough, who is expected to deploy multiple tight ends throughout the formation.
Offensive linemen: Brandon Coleman, Trent Scott, D.J. Humphries, Chris Paul, Nick Allegretti, Matt Gulbin, Sam Cosmi, Andrew Wylie, Josh Conerly Jr.
Injuries have already taken a toll on Washington’s offensive line, with starters Tunsil, Allegretti and Cosmi missing time.
Humphries, who signed with the team this week, likely makes the roster as a much-needed depth piece. Gulbin, a sixth-round rookie from Michigan State, has shown more potential than fellow center Julian Good-Jones despite some occasional struggles adapting to the speed of NFL competition.
Defensive tackles: Javon Kinlaw, Daron Payne, Tim Settle, Shy Tuttle, Ricky Barber.
Newton’s absence opened a hole in the center of the defensive line. It could let Barber — or late arrivals like Maurice Hurst or Maryland product Byron Cowart — sneak onto the Week 1 roster.
Edge rushers: Odafe Oweh, K’Lavon Chaisson, Javontae Jean-Baptiste, Joshua Josephs, Charles Omenihu.
Dorance Armstrong won’t count against the active roster because he’s suspended for Week 1 after violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy, specifically for kicking a cop in Texas, according to court records. A one-week suspension isn’t the worst fate for a player who ended the season on injured reserve following an ACL tear.
In his absence, four new arrivals — Oweh, Chaisson, Omenihu and fifth-rounder Josephs — will look to make an immediate impact alongside the returning Javontae Jean-Baptiste.
Linebackers: Sonny Styles, Frankie Luvu, Leo Chenal, Jordan Magee, Kain Medrano.
Linebacker became one of the Commanders’ deepest position groups after drafting Styles with the No. 7 pick in the draft and signing Chenal, a former Kansas City Chief.
Luvu, Styles and Chenal — in that order — will see the most snaps to start the season. Magee, Medrano and Ale Kaho battled to become reserve players with roles on special teams.
Medrano, with great speed and a few big plays during Wednesday’s joint practice with the Ravens, showcased his development. His inclusion comes at the cost of Kaho, a fellow UCLA alumnus, who will likely find his way onto the practice squad.
Cornerbacks: Trey Amos, Mike Sainristil, Amik Robertson, Rasul Douglas.
Amos’ availability remains a question mark. He missed the final seven games of last season with a fractured fibula. Complications extended into training camp. On one of his first practices back on the field, he tweaked his leg and has been held out of open sessions since.
Quinn has been reluctant to confirm that the 2025 second-rounder would start Week 1. If he’s out, Washington could promote potential practice squad players like Antonio Hamilton or Fabian Moreau.
Safeties: Jeremy Reaves, Nick Cross, Quan Martin, Tyler Owens, Percy Butler.
One of the deepest positions on the roster received some clarity after the team released Will Harris this week. Harris was a Week 1 starter last year, but dropped behind Reaves and Cross, both of whom signed with Washington this offseason, on the depth chart.
Martin beat out Harris for the third safety spot, thanks to a blend of athleticism that could shine in defensive coordinator Daronte Jones’ newly installed scheme. Owens and Butler are special teams aces who could see even more work with Reaves, a former Pro Bowl specialist, joining the first-team defense.
Special teams: Kicker Drew Stevens, punter Tress Way, long snapper Tyler Ott.
The Commanders end the preseason against the Ravens in Baltimore on Friday night, with the regular-season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles looming on Sept. 13.
Contact the author
Please read our comment policy before commenting.