{"id":9150,"date":"2026-08-15T04:08:13","date_gmt":"2026-08-15T04:08:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=9150"},"modified":"2026-08-15T04:08:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-15T04:08:13","slug":"who-will-make-the-commanders-roster-heres-the-outlook-with-preseason-underway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=9150","title":{"rendered":"Who will make the Commanders\u2019 roster? Here\u2019s the outlook with preseason underway."},"content":{"rendered":"

Washington defeats Miami, 20-7, at Northwest Stadium.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n
Commanders running back Robert Henry Jr. finds the end zone against the Dolphins on Friday night. (Amber Searls\/Imagn Images\/Reuters Connect)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

The Washington Commanders won their preseason opener, 20-7, against the Miami Dolphins on Friday night at Northwest Stadium. They won\u2019t play at home again until they host the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 27, in Week 3 of the regular season.<\/p>

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After hosting the Dolphins for a joint practice Wednesday, the Commanders sat most of their starters in the game. Given those players had already gotten extensive competitive reps against another team, the team decided it wasn\u2019t worth the injury risk.<\/p>\n

Roster cut-down day is still a couple of weeks away \u2014 teams don\u2019t have to make any decisions until Aug. 30 \u2014 but General Manager Adam Peters and Coach Dan Quinn are well into their evaluation.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s my initial 53-man roster projection:<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n
Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota hands the ball to rookie running back Kaytron Allen. (Manuel Balce Ceneta\/AP)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

Quarterback <\/b>(2)<\/p>\n

Running back <\/b>(4)<\/p>\n

Wide receiver <\/b>(6)<\/p>\n

Tight end <\/b>(4)<\/p>\n

Offensive line <\/b>(9)<\/p>\n

Physically unable to perform list: <\/b>Laremy Tunsil<\/p>\n

The most difficult decisions here come at running back and wide receiver. Washington made a lot of additions at both spots, and it\u2019s created a logjam for the front office to sort through.<\/p>\n

It\u2019ll largely come down to the offense\u2019s priorities. If third-down pass protection is a concern \u2014 which could be the case given the loss of Laremy Tunsil<\/a> \u2014 then perhaps McNichols makes the roster, and they keep four running backs. He\u2019s the best pass protection back on the roster by far, and a capable runner and receiver.<\/p>\n

At wide receiver, the locks are McLaurin, Diggs, McCaffrey, Lane and Williams. That group, however, creates a lot of overlap. McLaurin and Diggs are the only two who\u2019ve shown they can win consistently on the outside. If Williams doesn\u2019t show more growth in that area, it\u2019ll be difficult for the Commanders to go without rostering Burks or Brown. Since Williams hasn\u2019t displayed that skill set yet, I decided to keep Burks to provide depth at outside wide receiver.<\/p>\n

The other thing to note here: The Commanders aren\u2019t shutting the door on Tunsil returning from his torn left triceps this season, so they\u2019ll almost certainly place him on the physically unable to perform list. That frees up a roster spot, while also allowing him to return any time after the first four games.<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n
Commanders cornerback Antonio Hamilton Sr. jostles for the ball with Dolphins wide receiver Caleb Douglas. (Amber Searls\/Imagn Images\/Reuters Connect) (Amber Searls)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

Defensive tackle (4)<\/b><\/p>\n

Defensive end <\/b>(3)<\/p>\n

Outside linebacker <\/b>(4)<\/p>\n

Inside linebacker <\/b>(4)<\/p>\n

Cornerback <\/b>(5)<\/p>\n

Safety <\/b>(5)<\/p>\n

This is fewer linebackers than the Commanders usually keep. Given defensive coordinator Daronte Jones uses a multiple defense that frequently calls for five-man fronts, however, defensive line depth is paramount.<\/p>

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Jones\u2019s affinity for three-safety formations also gives that position the edge over linebacker. The question is whether the fifth spot will be held by Butler or Owens.<\/p>\n

The Commanders would be hopeful they could get players such as Jackson and Medrano back on the practice squad, but they could get claimed by other teams.<\/p>\n

Kicker: <\/b>Jake Moody<\/p>\n

Cut: <\/b>Drew Stevens<\/p>\n

Punter: <\/b>Tress Way<\/p>\n

Cut: <\/b>Matt Haack<\/p>\n

Long snapper: <\/b>Tyler Ott<\/p>\n

Cut: <\/b>N\/A<\/p>\n

Moody and Stevens are locked in what may be the most important position battle on the roster. Although Moody played well in his six-game stint with Washington last season, he\u2019s had some costly lapses throughout his career. As someone who was part of the San Francisco 49ers front office that drafted him, Peters knows that as well as anyone.<\/p>\n

That led the Commanders to sign Stevens as an undrafted rookie. He has a big leg, but his accuracy came and went during his college career at Iowa.<\/p>\n

The competition has been neck and neck throughout training camp, and both players have largely been accurate. But they each started to have more hiccups this week. On Monday, Moody missed four field goals while Stevens missed three of his own. Both kickers bounced back with strong performances Tuesday and Wednesday.<\/p>\n

During the preseason game, Moody and Stevens alternated as kicker \u2014 and each player went 1-for-1 on both field goals and extra points. This battle won\u2019t be decided until after the final preseason game, but I\u2019ll give Moody the edge for now.<\/p>

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Washington opened its preseason slate with a 20-7 win over the Miami Dolphins at Northwest Stadium.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9146,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9150","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nWho will make the Commanders\u2019 roster? Here\u2019s the outlook with preseason underway. - Moving Insider USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=9150\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Who will make the Commanders\u2019 roster? 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