Commanders' door abruptly slamming shut on surprise roster hope

When Washington Commanders general manager Adam Peters selected tight end Ben Sinnott in the 2024 draft, he compared the former Kansas State star to George Kittle and Kyle Juszczyk. That made perfect sense.

It can be a mistake to assume that because a general manager or coach has had success with one type of player or system, he will automatically try to replicate it elsewhere. Peters' signing of undrafted free agent Colson Yankoff gave him his potential Kittle and Juszczyk in Washington.

The fact that things didn’t turn out that way in 2024 isn’t surprising. It took both Kittle and Juszczyk a few years to blossom into Pro Bowlers. During his rookie season, Sinnott was stuck behind a revived Zach Ertz as the team’s primary receiving tight end. And Yankoff was largely relegated to special teams as he learned and grew.

Colson Yankoff faces fight for Commanders roster spot as Lawrence Cager surges

It is still very early. Washington has been in camp for three weeks and played just one preseason game. Still, there are some troubling signs that Sinnott and Yankoff are a long way off from their San Francisco 49ers' counterparts.

The fact that Sinnott caught two of three targets for just 10 receiving yards against the New England Patriots isn’t necessarily troubling. But the fact that he is showing none of the explosive burst that made him dangerous in college is frustrating.

As for Yankoff, the most memorable glimpses we got of him against New England came on special teams, where he was in the middle of an atrocious kickoff coverage unit. He may not be to blame for the Patriots running roughshod over Washington, but he did nothing to help the cause.

Thus far, neither Sinnott nor Yankoff looks very physical on the field. They appear smaller than expected, and they have been pushed around by bigger players. That simply cannot happen. It certainly doesn’t happen to Kittle and Juszczyk.

Compounding their problem, Lawrence Cager was far from small. If anything, he looked bigger than expected, which is saying something.

Cager entered the league as a 6-foot-5, 220-pound wide receiver, but has now bulked up to about 240 during his transition to tight end. Based on his brief play, he seems to have maintained his wideout skills. The 33-yard deep shot he caught from Josh Johnson early in the second half is the exact kind of play fans have been waiting to see from Sinnott.

It appeared that another larger-than-life prospect — Tyree Jackson — was the only real threat to Yankoff, and possibly even to Sinnott. When he went down with an injury, it appeared there wouldn’t be any serious competition in the tight end room.

Ertz would be the starting flex option. John Bates, the in-line blocker. Sinnott would see more snaps, and Yankoff would look to carve out a role.

But that hasn’t happened yet. And now, Cager is making a push.

Cole Turner, who has shown good receiving chops in the past, is also in the fold. Sinnott is not in any real danger. Not yet. But Yankoff is now battling for his spot. He had better start playing bigger than he looked against New England.

After the drubbing the Commanders took in that game, one could probably say the same thing about several players.

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