Two preseason games are in the can and the Commanders’ final roster cutdowns are less than a week away on Sunday.
Most of the team’s starters are set in stone, but there are almost 30 other spots on the roster up for grabs. Here is a projection of what Washington’s final roster may look like.
(The number in parentheses is how many players Washington kept at the position last season.)
QUARTERBACK (3)
- Jayden Daniels
- Marcus Mariota
- Athan Kaliakmanis
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If Mariota hadn’t sprained the MCL in his right knee during the first preseason game, the Commanders may have elected to keep just two quarterbacks. But with the uncertainty of Mariota’s return, Kaliakmanis gets the nod. The rookie has taken more third-team reps than Sam Hartman in practice since last week, which may signal his position in the pecking order.
RUNNING BACK (4)
- Bill Croskey-Merritt
- Rachaad White
- Kaytron Allen
- Jeremy McNichols
McNichols sustained a quad injury that will keep him out for a few weeks. In his absence, undrafted rookie Robert Henry Jr. grabbed the brass ring against the Dolphins two weeks ago (12 rushes for 75 yards), but followed that up by running for negative-3 yards and fumbling a kick return against the Lions. The rookie may have had the nod for the fourth spot at one point, but McNichols is more dependable.
RECEIVER (5)
- Terry McLaurin
- Stefon Diggs
- Antonio Williams
- Dyami Brown
- Jaylin Lane
- Luke McCaffrey
It’s ironic that the receivers group is the most difficult unit to pare down. This was an area of weakness when practices started back in June. But the arrival of Diggs on Aug. 7 has created a bit of a roster crunch. McLaurin, Diggs and the rookie Williams are safe. Lane and McCaffrey double as the team’s punt and kick returner, respectively, which earns them each a spot. If it comes down to Brown and Treylon Burks, I’d give Brown the nod because he seems to have more of a connection with Daniels during practice — not to mention that Burks has had difficulty staying healthy over his five-year career.
TIGHT END (4)
- Chig Okonkwo
- John Bates
- Ben Sinnott
- Colson Yankoff
Okonkwo, Bates and Sinnott are all easy locks. Yankoff, an undrafted free agent in 2024, has had the second-most-impressive camp among the tight ends behind Okonkwo. Commanders quarterbacks could throw a pass into the bleachers and Yankoff would probably come down with it — he’s made jumping, diving and sliding catches all over the field. With the uncertainty surrounding the rest of the offensive line, there will probably be a lot of two-tight-end sets this season, making this group an important cog in the offense.
OFFENSIVE LINE (9)
- Brandon Coleman
- Chris Paul
- Max Scharping
- Nick Allegretti
- Julian Good-Jones
- Matt Gulbin
- Sam Cosmi
- Andrew Wylie
- Josh Conerly Jr.
The offensive line came into camp as a strength for Washington, but it fell apart immediately. Allegretti (calf) didn’t practice from July 30 to Aug. 17 and missed two more practices — and the Lions game — late last week. Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil tore his triceps on Aug. 8 and probably won’t return before the end of the season. Wylie gets the nod here because Trent Scott has struggled in the preseason: On Saturday, he gave up a sack and allowed his defender to blow up a rush. With Allegretti’s health up in the air, the Commanders are likely to keep three centers.
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DEFENSIVE LINE (8)
- Tim Settle
- Shy Tuttle
- Daron Payne
- Javon Kinlaw
- Charles Omenihu
- Ricky Barber
This unit is pretty beat up. Veteran Deatrich Wise Jr. hasn’t practiced since tearing his right quad nearly a year ago, and Jer’Zhan Newton will, according to coach Dan Quinn, miss a “significant amount of time” after having surgery to repair a pec that he tore last week. Settle and Payne have missed time as well. Barber has been a bright spot all preseason and narrowly beats out veteran Byron Cowart for the final spot.
LINEBACKER (7)
- Odafe Oweh
- Joshua Josephs
- Frankie Luvu
- Sonny Styles
- Leo Chenal
- K’Lavon Chaisson
- Dorance Armstrong
- Javontae Jean-Baptiste
With the switch to a 3-4 alignment under defensive coordinator Daronte Jones, I foresee the Commanders keeping some extra players. Josephs, the rookie out of Tennessee, has had one of the most surprising camps of anyone, both as a pass rusher and run stopper. Jean-Baptiste has come on late and has probably earned a spot on the outside.
CORNERBACK (5)
- Trey Amos
- Rasul Douglas
- Amik Robertson
- Mike Sainristil
- Antonio Hamilton Sr.
It’s unclear when Amos will return after injuring his ankle Aug. 8. It’s the same leg in which he broke his fibula last season, so the team is taking a cautious approach in bringing him back. If Amos can’t go right away, Douglas will probably start across from Robertson, with Sainristil in the nickel. Hamilton, an 11-year veteran, has done just enough in coverage and special teams to stave off fourth-year vet Darius Rush and undrafted rookie Fred Davis II.
SAFETY (5)
- Nick Cross
- Jeremy Reaves
- Tyler Owens
- Percy Butler
- Quan Martin
Cross and Reaves have almost exclusively run with the first-team defense during training camp. Former starter Will Harris, 30, has been in the mix as well, but Owens, Butler and Martin (another former starter) all play special teams and are under the age of 27. Owens, a hybrid linebacker, blew up a Lions running back in pass protection on Saturday, the kind of highlight play that probably bumps him up the roster.
SPECIAL TEAMS (3)
- Punter Tress Way
- Kicker Drew Stevens
- Long snapper Tyler Ott
Stevens locked in his spot last week when the Commanders cut Jake Moody. The rookie out of Iowa has been impressive all camp, hitting kicks as far as 60 yards. The true test will come in the regular season when the game might come down to Stevens’ leg, but for the time being the Commanders seem to have found an answer at kicker.
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