Commanders enter bye week with a rising star giving fans new belief

The Washington Commanders are 3-8 at their much-needed bye week. However, some scarce bright spots have emerged amid the complete free-fall from lofty expectations. Everything that could have gone wrong has gone wrong. Jayden Daniels is injured. So is Terry McLaurin. So is Dorance Armstrong Jr., who was having a Pro Bowl-caliber season. A plethora of additional key starters and depth pieces have suffered long-term ailments. Finding bright spots this season has been a challenge. Most of them, such as defensive end Jacob Martin and running back Chris Rodriguez Jr., are players nobody expected anything from. The legitimate long-term building blocks on this team are few and far between. But there is one young core piece who has come along nicely. The Commanders' decision to select Oregon offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr. at No. 29 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft was met with mixed reactions. His position was not considered one of need after Washington traded for five-time Pro Bowler Laremy Tunsil. As such, he emba