Commanders 53-man 2024 roster projection: Preseason clues edition

From the moment the wretched 2023 season ended, it was apparent that the 2024 Washington Commanders roster would look unrecognizable this time around. The poor results were the most obvious reason, but wholesale changes at every level of management ensured massive turnover.

Adam Peters, Dan Quinn, and the majority of the coaching staff had nothing to do with assembling last year’s roster. They have no preconceptions or sense of loyalty to any of the returning players. Everyone from first-round draft picks to lowly undrafted free agents would be starting on equal footing.

This roster projection reflects that massive turnover. Out of the 53 players projected to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 31 of them are new to the franchise. That’s nearly 60 percent of the entire roster.

Some are 2024 draft picks and high-profile free-agent signings. Others are undrafted free agents and veteran castoffs from other clubs. Quinn and his staff will be faced with the challenge of quickly molding all these new players into a cohesive unit. There will be hiccups along the way, but if everything breaks right, the Commanders should be a far more competitive team than the one we saw last year.

A lot has changed since the start of Washington's early offseason activities. Some players that seemed like locks have slipped back while other longshots have made strong cases for themselves.

The Commanders still have 90 players on its active roster, with one other currently on the physically unable to perform list. That number needs to be trimmed to 53 by Tuesday, August 27, just one week away. Up to 16 of the players who are cut can be re-signed to the practice squad.

Let’s make our best guesses as to who will be on that final 53-man roster.

Commanders 53-man roster projection after training camp

Commanders special teams (3)

• Tress Way (P), Tyler Ott (LS), Greg Joseph/Anders Carlson (K)

The Washington Commanders do not have a second punter or a second long snapper in camp. The jobs belong to Tress Way and Tyler Ott. It is a very different story at the kicking position.

Riley Patterson has not been good. He missed two kicks - one hooked left, the other pushed right - against the Miami Dolphins in Preseason Week 2. He is not especially long. If the veteran is not going to be accurate, there is no reason to keep him around.

I have been pushing for Andre Szmyt, but so far, Adam Peters has not listened to me. So now I am going to read my crystal ball and say that the Commanders' kicker this season will be … Greg Joseph or Anders Carlson - whichever one loses out on the kicker job with the Green Bay Packers.

Commanders safeties (5)

• Jeremy Chinn, Quan Martin, Darrick Forrest, Tyler Owens, Percy Butler

Jeremy Chinn and Quan Martin will start. Darrick Forrest may have lost his free safety starting job, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t a valuable chess piece for Joe Whitt Jr. Tyler Owens has been a revelation. He has had one of the best camps of any player and seems to have forced himself onto the team.

On the other hand, draft pick Dominique Hampton has been very quiet. He might be the only 2024 draft pick who does not make the roster. He should develop for a year on the practice squad.

Percy Butler and Jeremy Reaves may be competing for a single spot, and it may come down to special teams. Reaves would seem to have an edge there, but I suspect Dan Quinn would prefer to go with the younger Butler.

He would appear to have more natural talent than Reaves. Under the previous coaching staff, that talent was never unlocked. Whitt has the credentials to get more from him.

Commanders cornerbacks (6)

• Mike Sainristil, Benjamin St-Juste, Michael Davis, Noah Igbinoghene, Chigozie Anusiem, Tariq Castro-Fields

Benjamin St-Juste gets beat, but he remains the best perimeter corner the Washington Commanders have. This simply is not a strength right now - something that could prove to be the team's undoing defensively.

Mike Sainristil should be a playmaker in the middle of the field. Veteran free-agent signing Michael Davis may add a little stability to the other perimeter. Noah Igbinoghene has a history with both Dan Quinn and Joe Whitt Jr. He also played reasonably well in preseason.

After that, it’s anybody’s guess. Maybe this staff is ready to cut their losses with Emmanuel Forbes Jr.

The former first-round pick simply does not have the body to consistently compete against the league’s extraordinarily athletic wide receivers. Chigozie Anusiem is untested and Tariq Castro-Fields has made plenty of mistakes, but both seem like safer bets at this point.

Commanders linebackers (5)

• Bobby Wagner, Frankie Luvu, Jamin Davis, Jordan Magee, Anthony Pittman

Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu instantly upgraded the linebacking corps. Jordan Magee is a promising rookie who should benefit from playing behind Wagner, although he might be starting the campaign on injured reserve after having surgery.

This is Jamin Davis' year to earn his next contract, whether as a traditional linebacker or as a hybrid edge rusher. It was a difficult transition to a pure pass-rusher, but he's starting to make strides.

There will probably be one more linebacker - maybe two if Magee goes to the shelf. Anthony Pittman, who is a standout on special teams, and can provide some quality snaps on defense if he ever has to, could have the edge right now.

Mykal Walker or Keandre Jones could stick depending on Magee's recovery time.

Commanders edge rushers (6)

• Dorance Armstrong Jr., Clelin Ferrell, K.J. Henry, Dante Fowler Jr., Andre Jones Jr., Javontae Jean-Baptiste

I am counting Dante Fowler Jr. as a lineman and Jamin Davis as a linebacker, even though they may end up playing the same pass-rushing edge position. That has yet to be determined.

We haven’t heard much from Fowler during camp, but he should be a shot in the arm to an anemic pass rush. K.J. Henry has looked like the best edge the Washington Commanders at training camp, but new additions Dorance Armstrong Jr. and Clelin Ferrell should come along.

Efe Obada is on the physically unable to perform list and his return date is unknown, He is a versatile depth piece but depending on his health, he may end up with an injury release or find his way to the injured reserve when the final cuts are made.

Andre Jones Jr. and Javontae Jean-Baptiste are both young athletic pass rushers. The Commanders desperately need that kind of infusion, so they may end up keeping an extra edge. Throw Davis into this mix as well, and we may see Dan Quinn and Joe Whitt Jr. mix and match early on looking for the most productive tandem.

Commanders interior defensive line (4)

• Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne, Johnny Newton, Phidarian Mathis

There’s no change here. The only thing we have learned is that Washington’s depth is highly suspect. We have not seen the three players who should make up the interior line rotation this year.

Provided that rookie Johnny Newton gets healthy, and veterans Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne stay injury-free, the Commanders will be just fine. After that, all bets are off.

They will probably keep four interior linemen. Phidarian Mathis would seem to have the inside track to the final slot. He has not been great in camp, but he has been better than the other reserves.

His history of injuries might spook the coaches, and they may choose to go with a different player. But barring health issues, it should be Mathis.

Commanders offensive line (9)

• Brandon Coleman, Nick Allegretti, Tyler Biadasz, Sam Cosmi, Andrew Wylie, Cornelius Lucas, Michael Deiter, Julian Good-Jones, Chris Paul

Brandon Coleman will be the left tackle as soon as he is deemed ready. Until then, Cornelius Lucas will be a solid fill-in. The other spots are set. Andrew Wylie is doing what he has always done. It takes him a while to shake off the rust, but he will eventually be okay. The interior of the line should be better than last year.

The depth remains a major problem. The backups have gotten a lot of snaps during preseason and none have looked consistently reliable. Michael Deiter is the backup center by default, but he has not been very good so far.

Ricky Stromberg has looked lost to me. I thought he was reasonably safe this summer but that's no longer the case. Julian Good-Jones may have played himself onto the roster by outperforming the other backup guards.

Chris Paul played well in the first preseason game - where he showed some skill moving out to tackle - but he didn’t sustain it in the second contest. This remains a work in progress, but versatility and experience may be the deciding factors in filling out the depth pieces.

Commanders wide receivers (6)

• Terry McLaurin, Olamide Zaccheaus, Dyami Brown, Luke McCaffrey, Jahan Dotson, Jamison Crowder

Washington is likely to keep six receivers and five of them seem to be set. The only real change from the summer projection is the depth chart.

Dyami Brown is surging. We have been fooled by this before, but the combination of his increased experience and the talent of his new quarterback offers hope that this time it might stick. Olamide Zaccheaus has established himself as a quality veteran playmaker.

Both may have moved ahead of Jahan Dotson, though it is still far too early to write off the former first-rounder despite his disappointing 2023. Luke McCaffrey needs seasoning, but he is close to being a value addition.

That leaves a lot of players battling for one or possibly two final spots. The recent signings of veterans Byron Pringle and Martavis Bryant suggest Washington is not entirely satisfied with its crop of younger, developmental wideouts. Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint, Brycen Tremayne, and Mitchell Tinsley all offer intriguing skills but none have stood out.

Davion Davis would need to stick as a kick returner, and that position remains unresolved. In the end, the Commanders may simply take the most reliable option. Jamison Crowder is a smart slot receiver who can return punts. He has been with Washington on and off for a long time now. He may not seem as exciting as some newer options, but the veteran may be the smart choice to help them win games now.

Commanders tight ends (3)

• Zach Ertz, John Bates, Ben Sinnott

This is pretty simple. In the summer, I wasn’t sure how the new Washington Commanders' coaching staff would view a blocker like John Bates, nor was I sure of Zach Ertz’s health.

We still haven’t seen anything from Ertz on the field, but reports suggest he will be just fine. He may have lost a step, but the three-time Pro Bowler will do what he was brought in to do - provide his young quarterback with a reliable pass catcher over the middle. Ben Sinnott should eventually overtake him as Jayden Daniels' top threat on seam routes and short crosses.

It was nice to see Bates make a quality catch over the middle in the preseason game against the Miami Dolphins. That was something he could do in his rookie season, but it virtually disappeared from his game over the last two years.

Bates will remain the team’s primary in-line tight end. If he can occasionally sneak downfield, the Commanders have another potential weapon to utilize.

Those three are in. Cole Turner and Colson Yankoff have huge hills to climb if either is to stick. Both are candidates for the practice squad, with the more versatile undrafted free agent having a slightly better chance.

Commanders running backs (4)

• Brian Robinson Jr., Austin Ekeler, Jeremy McNichols, Michael Wiley

Brian Robinson Jr. will start. Austin Ekeler will play a lot, especially on third downs and in the red zone. After that, it is up in the air.

Chris Rodriguez Jr. was a lock once upon a time. However, the former sixth-round selection has had a very pedestrian camp. Meanwhile, versatile free agents like Jeremy McNichols and Michael Wiley have been impressive.

McNichols has spent time with 10 different franchises in his seven-year career. He is a versatile back who can run, catch, and block. He may not be as dynamic as some of the younger players, but Kliff Kingsbury may value the experience he offers.

Wiley, an undrafted free agent out of Arizona, has had an up-and-down camp. He may offer the most long-term upside as a dual-threat option in the backfield.

It would be awkward to walk away from Rodriguez, a 2023 draft pick who flashed some real talent in a very limited role last year. That said, the Kentucky product has not shown much this preseason, and this staff did not choose him.

Commanders quarterbacks (2)

• Jayden Daniels, Marcus Mariota

There is no change here from the summer projection. Jayden Daniels has done everything you could ask during the preseason and will be the starting quarterback unless injury sidelines him. Marcus Mariota, provided he is healthy, will be a quality backup.

Jeff Driskel has played well enough to earn another backup spot, but Washington will only keep two quarterbacks - again provided Mariota is healthy.

If his groin strain takes longer than expected to heal, it is possible that Driskel could survive the final cut and serve as backup in the early season games. That would necessitate dropping another position player to carry a third quarterback until Mariota is fully healthy.

I suspect Mariota will be fine and Driskel will not make it to opening day. Sam Hartman seems an ideal candidate for the practice squad.

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