Commanders' position battle hangs in the balance entering preseason finale

The Washington Commanders had a second-team All-Pro kick returner and two different punt returners who registered better than 10 yards per return last season.

Those two punt returners — Olamide Zaccheaus and Jamison Crowder — are no longer with the team. And Kliff Kingsbury would likely prefer that Austin Ekeler save his energy for offense with running back Brian Robinson Jr. on his way out the door.

With that in mind, the Commanders let several roster hopefuls return both kickoffs and punts against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football . For the most part, Kazmeir Allen and Demetric Felton were back on kickoffs, and rookie Jaylin Lane handled punts.

Commanders' return dynamic is not resolved, but one frontrunner is becoming clear

Lane dropped deep on kickoffs along with Noah Igbinoghene later, while Allen handled a couple of punts. In total, he returned four kickoffs and punts and caught a few fair catches. The other ret urn hopefuls each got one opportunity.

Nothing definitive happened in the return game. No big plays. No fumbles. There was no seismic shift that fans were hoping for.

Lane, who had a good night as a receiver, may have just about sewn up the punt returner job with the first of his two tries. He came up smartly and fielded a punt on the sideline, then made a strong run to advance the ball 11 yards.

Chances are, if he does not field the punt, it goes out of bounds, but there’s no guarantee it doesn’t bounce deeper into the Commanders’ territory. It was a solid veteran move that showed his comfort level when fielding punts.

Unfortunately, he failed to repeat that effort on the next punt, allowing the short ball to bounce. It ended up pinning the Commanders deep. Lane will need to correct that if he is going to be Washington’s punt returner this year, but it's a simple fix for such a naturally gifted player.

For his part, Allen did make solid decisions on fair catching shorter punts and not letting them hit the ground. But he has a numbers problem. Lane is almost certainly already on the roster as a receiver. If the Commanders keep the UCLA product, it would use up an extra roster spot because he is unlikely to play much at the running back spot.

Allen almost certainly has to win the job as kickoff/punt returner to secure a roster spot. He did not do that against the Bengals. He was adequate. He showed some burst on his 33-yard return just before halftime. On the whole, his returns were solid, but nothing more.

With Ekeler, Lane, and Luke McCaffrey all capable of returning kickoffs, Allen needs to show he is a better option. He did not do that.

Nor did Felton, who finds himself in the same boat. He looked like a solid professional kick returner on his only chance, but to force his way onto the roster, he needs to show more.

The hopefuls will have one more chance to wow the coaches against the Baltimore Ravens, but this battle may already be over. It appears as of now that Lane will be returning punts, and he will team up with a second player. McCaffrey, Jeremy McNichols, or Igbinoghene seem likely candidates.

If none of those options work out, it’s nice to have an All-Pro in Ekeler stashed in reserve.

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