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Breaking down the Commanders' 2025 cornerback room, including an intriguing rookie and a second-year standout
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Breaking down the Commanders' 2025 cornerback room, including an intriguing rookie and a second-year standout

Originally posted on A to Z Sports  |  By Josh Taylor  |  Last updated Sep 2, 2025 11:53 AM ET

As the Washington Commanders kick off its 2025 season, it's time to take a deep dive into every position to know what to expect this year.

Adam Peters spent a lot of draft capital and made one of the Commanders' weakest positions possibly one of the strongest. We all know how important the defense is this season, and having a true lockdown corner room can take it to the next level.

The position has a mixture of veteran leadership, a rookie with a high ceiling, and a second-year standout who can take the league over this season.

Trey Amos

One of the biggest surprises of the draft was cornerback Trey Amos falling to the Commanders at pick 61, and it could be a massive payoff. The Commanders already hit on Mike Sainristil the year before, and finding another future piece of the defense helps Peters accelerate his roster rebuild.

Amos has had a great rookie offseason, and looks like he will be a day one impact kind of player as the outside corner opposite of Marshon Lattimore. We didn't get to see him play a lot in preseason, but when he did, we saw the flashes of what's to come. Amos might just be the steal of the draft after being projected to go at the end of the first round.

His skill set fits the Commanders' defense and the type of corners Quinn likes. Amos plays with his length and speed to run routes for wide receivers, but also has great strength to play with bigger receivers and press at the line. He moves fluidly out in space and can also pull the trigger to attack the run game out in space.

Mike Sainristil

We saw Mike Sainristil turn into a breakout rookie last season, and he's poised to become a league-wide name this year. Sainristil was an absolute demon in coverage, even though he switched positions from the slot to the outside. At Michigan, he was the nickel corner in the slot mostly due to his size at 5-foot-10 and 180lbs, but he had no problem playing on the outside with the need the Commanders had at the position.

Sainristil finished his rookie season with two interceptions, nine pass breakups, which was 11th in the league, and 76 solo tackles, which was 3rd in the league at his position. His run-stopping ability is probably the most underrated part of his game, but he was also lockdown in coverage against the best in the league.

Marshon Lattimore

Peters traded for cornerback Marshon Lattimore at the trade deadline last season and showed that he's willing to go all-in on rebuilding the roster. Lattimore was dealing with a nagging hamstring injury when he was traded, and he was still recovering from it while getting used to a new defense. He showed flashes of what we expected, but also showed that he was never at 100%.

Lattimore now had a full offseason with the defense and spent time getting healthy again, and he said he's back to himself again. Him being healthy can be one of the biggest x-factors on defense, and what helps push the team to the Super Bowl.

Jonathan Jones and Noah Igbinoghene

The Commanders also have real depth now, which can be crucial with Lattimore's injury history. Jonathan Jones was a sneaky signing that could have a major payoff. He very well could be starting for other teams in the league that need a corner, but he can still rotate in to fill the inside or outside.

Noah Igbinoghene had a much larger role than expected last season for the Commanders, and showed that he can be serviceable mostly in the slot. It was important to improve the starters in the cornerback room, but also to have real quality depth to avoid any setbacks like we've seen in the past.

The Commanders' cornerback room went from one of the weakest parts of the defense to now being a true staple that can elevate the team. It will be intriguing to watch how Amos develops as a rookie, the next step of becoming a leader for Sainristil, and if Lattimore can get back to his playing style.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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