The Washington Commanders are traveling up to New England for their first preseason game on Friday vs the Patriots, which means we get our first look at the unofficial depth chart.
I want to put an emphasis on the word unofficial because this doesn't mean this is how the team will look, or how certain guys rank, but it's still a foundation to build off of.
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Jayden Daniels |
Marcus Mariota |
Josh Johnson |
Sam Hartman |
The only real notable storyline to watch in the QB room is who wins the battle for QB3. Hartman has had a solid camp, but Johnson brings a veteran presence to the room. Whoever can fill in without hiccups will be the one who wins the last spot. Hartman and Johnson will get a lot of preseason reps.
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Terry McLaurin |
Michael Gallup |
Chris Moore |
Mike Strachan |
Noah Brown |
K.J Osborn |
Jacoby Jones |
Braylon Sander/Tay Martin |
Deebo Samuel Sr. |
Luke McCaffrey |
Jaylin Lane |
Ja'Corey Brooks |
No real surprise when you think about how HC Dan Quinn approaches the depth chart, and he makes every rookie earn their spot. Jaylin Lane will quickly shoot up the depth chart, but this is also a good sign for Luke McCaffrey. WR is another deep position with plenty of preseason snaps available.
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Brian Robinson Jr. |
Austin Ekeler |
Jeremy McNichols |
Chris Rodriguez Jr. |
Jacory Croskey-Merritt |
Kazmier Allen |
Demetric Felton |
Have no fear, Croskey-Merritt truthers, he will get his chance to show what separates him from the other running backs. His listing as the fifth string actually allows us to see more snaps for the seventh-round rookie gem.
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LT |
Laremy Tunsil |
Foster Sarrell |
Tyree Phillips |
Lucas Niang |
LG |
Brandon Coleman |
Chris Paul |
Julian Good-Jones |
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C |
Tyler Biadasz |
Michael Deiter |
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RG |
Sam Cosmi |
Nick Allegretti |
Timothy McKay |
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RT |
Andrew Wylie |
OR Josh Conerly Jr. |
Trent Scott |
Bobby Hart |
Of course, everyone will look at the RT spot. That's exactly what I expected to see with Wylie OR Conerly Jr. being listed as the starters. I predict we could see Wylie start the season at RT with split time with Conerly Jr., similar to what they did last year with Cornelius Lucas and Brandon Coleman. I also think the depth can move around to different positions easily.
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Zach Ertz |
Ben Sinnott |
Cole Turner |
John Bates |
Colson Yankoff |
Lawrence Cager |
No surprises here for the tight end group. I'm obviously most excited to see Ben Sinnott in his second season in the league and hopefully get a decent amount of playing time in preseason again.
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DE |
Deatrich Wise Jr. |
Clelin Ferrell |
Javontae Jean-Baptiste |
Norrell Pollard |
DT |
Daron Payne |
Eddie Goldman |
Sheldon Day |
Ricky Barber |
DT |
Javon Kinlaw |
Jer'Zhan Newton |
Carl Davis |
Viliami Fehoko Jr. |
DE |
Dorance Armstrong |
Jalyn Holmes |
Andre Jones Jr. |
The defensive line has a lot of bodies and better quality to stop the run this season. Preseason players to watch, in my opinion, include Jean-Baptiste, Barber, and Goldman. The depth will be a close race when the season approaches.
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OLB |
Von Miller |
Jacob Martin |
T.J. Maguranyanga |
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LB |
Bobby Wagner |
Jordan Magee |
Kain Medrano |
Ale Kaho |
LB |
Frankie Luvu |
Nick Bellore |
Dom Hampton |
Kam Arnold |
The biggest thing that stands out for the linebacker room has to be rookie Kain Medrano, listed as a linebacker after being labeled as a tweener between linebacker and safety. This could indicate where they feel he is best right now. I'll be keeping count on Medrano's snaps in preseason.
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Marshon Lattimore |
Bobby Price |
Kevon Seymour |
Allan George |
Trey Amos |
Jonathan Jones |
Car'lin Vigers |
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Mike Sainristil |
Noah Igbinoghene |
You're reading that right, Quinn put a rookie as the starter already, and it's not a surprise when Trey Amos has had a flawless training camp. The depth with Igbinoghene and Jones gives the Commanders a major boost that's been missing for years. Vigers is a sleeper who can impress in the preseason.
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FS |
Quan Martin |
Jeremy Reaves |
Ben Nikkel |
Rob McDaniel |
SS |
Will Harris |
Percy Butler |
Tyler Owens |
The safety room looks as expected, and Owens is listed at safety after getting some reps at linebacker. Owens is the one player who has a lot to earn in the preseason to fight for a final roster spot.
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K |
Matt Gay |
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P |
Tress Way |
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H |
Tress Way |
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LS |
Tyler Ott |
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KR |
Austin Ekeler |
Luke McCaffrey |
Demetric Felton |
Kazmeir Allen |
PR |
K.J Osborn |
Jaylin Lane |
Demetric Felton |
Kazmeir Allen |
I do not doubt that Jaylin Lane will be the starting punt returner this season. I am surprised that Deebo Samuel isn't listed anywhere as a kick returner since he got a lot of starting reps there with Ekeler.
Remember, this is the first unofficial depth chart for the first preseason game against the Patriots, and there will be a lot of movement as the season gets closer. This is a great foundation to build off of, though, and see how things develop after each game. Rookies like Kain Medrano and Jacory Croskey-Merrit can make a lot of noise in the preseason and shake things up.
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