General Manager Adam Peters and Coach Dan Quinn addressed the media after cutting the squad to 53 players and making a flurry of additional decisions.
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NFL franchises’ optimism usually peaks during training camp, but a cloud of negativity hung over the Washington Commanders this year. After a rash of injuries turned multiple positions on the roster into areas of concern, the Baltimore Ravens thoroughly outperformed Washington in both a joint practice and a preseason game. As the Commanders turned the page to the regular season, they carried their fair share of doubters.
While General Manager Adam Peters and Coach Dan Quinn have surely heard the chatter, that hasn’t shaken their resolve.
“I have a ton of confidence in this team and a ton of confidence in the coaching staff,” Peters said Monday. “We haven’t done a whole lot in terms of showing what we’re going to do offensively and defensively. And there’s been a lot of times where we haven’t had our players, whether it’s been in the games or even in practice.
“Obviously, fans are passionate — and we love to have passionate fans and that’s great — but there’s a lot of stuff that we’re doing here that maybe they don’t see, and there’s lot of things that I’m really excited to see in a couple of weeks. We couldn’t be more thrilled to start our season.”
The Commanders didn’t claim any players off the waiver wire before the deadline passed Monday. Additionally, none of the players they released Sunday were claimed by other teams.
Washington signed 12 players to its practice squad Monday: quarterback Sam Hartman; running backs Robert Henry Jr. and Craig Reynolds; wide receiver Jaden Bradley; center Julian Good-Jones; offensive lineman Trent Scott; defensive tackles Byron Cowart and Jeffrey M’Ba; linebackers D.J. Johnson and Ale Kaho; and cornerbacks Darius Rush and Fred Davis.
The Commanders also are expected to sign former Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle Esa Pole to the practice squad, according to a person familiar with the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal decision-making. Pole spent most of last season with the Chiefs’ practice squad but logged four starts at left tackle. Teams can sign 17 players to their practice squads, so more moves are likely.
Here’s what we have learned about the Commanders’ decision-making:
Nick Allegretti and Matt Gulbin are the only two centers on the roster. Allegretti missed most of training camp with a calf strain, and while he returned to practice Monday, there will be some anxiety surrounding his status.
Although Gulbin made the roster, the rookie didn’t look ready to start based on his performances in practice and the preseason. Good-Jones can be called up from the practice squad, but he didn’t perform well in training camp, either.
At this point, there aren’t many proven options available in free agency. To get a player with that track record, the Commanders would probably have to make a trade.
“We have a ton of confidence in [Allegretti],” Peters said. “He’s not a guy that needs a ton of reps, especially from a mental standpoint. And then working to Matt, we’re very confident in Matt; that’s why we drafted him. He’s really passed all those tests that we thought he would. We really see a bright future in him.”
Peters noted that the Commanders “like that group” but added: “If there’s somebody that we feel would add to it, we’re not afraid to do that.”
Cornerback Trey Amos also missed most of training camp. He sat out the start with soft tissue soreness stemming from the fractured fibula that ended his 2025 season. In his second practice, he suffered a sprained ankle on the same leg. He’s been out since Aug. 8 and will spend at least the first four games of the season on injured reserve.
“We want to take it slow with him,” Peters said. “We’re confident he’ll be ready when it’s time.”
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That puts the Commanders in a tricky spot as corner. They intended to start Amos and Amik Robertson on the outside with Mike Sainristil at nickelback. Now, they must decide whether to kick Sainristil outside or keep him at nickelback. When asked, Quinn didn’t say where Sainristil would line up.
If he stays inside, Rasul Douglas would be the top candidate to start at outside corner. He started 13 games for the Miami Dolphins last year and has been a ballhawk throughout his career.
It’s become more common for NFL teams to keep just two quarterbacks, but the Commanders decided to hold on to three. Marcus Mariota suffered a sprained MCL and missed the last two games of the preseason, but he returned to practice Monday.
The Commanders hope Mariota will be ready to play by next week. If he’s not, rookie Athan Kaliakmanis will be Jayden Daniels’s backup. Regardless of how that plays out, it makes sense to carry additional insurance in Kaliakmanis, given Mariota has struggled with durability throughout his career.
Kaliakmanis, 23, has some potential to continue developing into a long-term answer at backup quarterback. Although he doesn’t have the biggest arm, he had some strong stretches of accuracy during training camp. He’ll need to improve his consistency and grow mentally, but he could be a replacement for Mariota as soon as next year.
“We really just loved his arm talent, his moxie, his competitiveness,” Peters said. “Just the way he could extend plays. He made some plays under pressure. Also, standing in the pocket and making big-time throws. … He’s got a lot of room to grow in a lot of different ways, but we really liked his progress. He’s a guy we definitely want to work with in the future.”
The Commanders kept seven wide receivers, which is a lot — even in the pass-happy NFL.
“We wanted to keep a mix of all those guys,” Peters said. “We thought we had more than who we kept that were NFL players.”
Terry McLaurin and Stefon Diggs are locked in as starters on the outside, but there’s a logjam at slot receiver. Antonio Williams, Luke McCaffrey and Jaylin Lane are all best when working from the slot, and none of them separated from the group during training camp.
Ideally, Williams will grow into the starting job while McCaffrey serves as the primary kick returner and Lane handles punt return duties. Ending the group there would have left Washington without depth at outside receiver behind Diggs and McLaurin, who are both on the wrong side of 30.
Although it was widely viewed as a competition between Treylon Burks and Dyami Brown for the final spot, both players made the roster. Burks fits the mold of an “X” receiver who lines up on the line of scrimmage, while Brown is more of a “Z” receiver who plays off the line. Keeping both players gives offensive coordinator David Blough more flexibility.
The Commanders placed left tackle Laremy Tunsil (torn triceps) and defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton (torn pectoral) on injured reserve Monday. They’ll be eligible to return after missing the first four games of the season, but they aren’t expected to be healthy until much later. With those two roster spots, Washington brought back cornerback Fabian Moreau and defensive tackle Shy Tuttle, who were cut Sunday.
In addition to Allegretti and Mariota, defensive tackle Daron Payne (undisclosed), linebacker Jordan Magee (shoulder) and tight end Ben Sinnott (oblique) returned to practice Monday. Running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt (lower body), linebackers Odafe Oweh (calf strain) and K’Lavon Chaisson (knee) didn’t practice.
Asked about Oweh, Quinn said the team is “feeling good.” Defensive end Dorance Armstrong is suspended for the Sept. 13 opener at the Philadelphia Eagles, and playing without Oweh or Chaisson as well would be a tough blow.
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