Commanders 53-man roster projection: Bengals game last chance for players to make case

LANDOVER — The Commanders concluded the preseason Saturday with a 21-19 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Now, coach Ron Rivera and company have decisions to make. 

NFL teams have until 4 p.m. Tuesday to cut rosters from 90 players to 53. Saturday was the last chance for players on the bubble to make their case that they deserve a spot. The Commanders played mostly backups against the Bengals as Washington rested 23 players — including all but three offensive starters. 

After the win, Rivera said he kept a close eye on 6 to 7 players with that same amount of spots up for grabs. 

“We do feel this is one of the toughest conversations we have, especially when it gets down to the depth,” Rivera said. “There’s a huge conversation that’s going to go on. And it’s going to be true for every position. The last couple, there’s a lot of good young players.” 

With the preseason done, here’s a 53-man roster projection of who Washington will keep: 

Quarterback (2): Sam Howell, Jacoby Brissett. The Commanders have had three quarterbacks on their initial 53-man roster every year under coach Ron Rivera. That stands to change this year. There’s an argument for third-stringer Jake Fromm to make the roster — especially given the Commanders have played at least three quarterbacks every season since 2018 — but it should be easy for Washington to stash the 25-year-old on the practice squad.

If either Howell or Brissett gets injured in the regular season, the Commanders could always promote (or sign) Fromm from the practice squad. But for now, the Commanders would likely be better served to use that spot for another position — even acknowledging the NFL’s rule change this offseason to allow teams to carry a third quarterback on game days without him counting against the active roster.

Regardless of roster minutiae, this is Howell’s job now. A big part of how the Commanders’ season plays out falls on his shoulders. 

Running back (3): Brian Robinson, Antonio Gibson and Chris Rodriguez. Absent from this list is Jonathan Williams, who made the roster last season because of his ability to run hard and block well. Williams still does both of those things well, but Rodriguez — a sixth-round rookie — has been consistently ahead of the veteran in the pecking order this summer.

There’s a chance Williams could make the roster if Washington elects to keep four running backs. But like with Fromm, Washington likely won’t face any obstacles in trying to stash Williams on the practice squad. 

Wide receiver (6): Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, Curtis Samuel, Dyami Brown, Byron Pringle and Kazmeir Allen. Washington went into Saturday’s preseason finale with the last two spots up for grabs. Pringle appears to have a leg up on the fifth spot — he actually started Saturday’s finale (along with Brown) with McLaurin, Dotson and Samuel all out.  

The sixth spot comes down to special teams. The Commanders need a returner, and Allen’s speed gives Washington the potential to rip off big plays in the return game. Dax Milne, who handled last year’s punt duties, is a steadier option at wide receiver, but Allen has been Washington’s main returner in the offseason.

Allen, though, didn’t help himself against the Bengals: He had two dropped passes and muffed a punt before recovering the ball inside the 10. Did his mistakes cost him a job? It remains to be seen. Allen told reporters for his muffed punt, he took his eyes off the ball too soon and that led to the mistake. 

“It’s all part of the growth process, but it can’t happen like that,” Allen said. “I should have fair caught it.” 

Elsewhere, a tough cut for Washington could be Mitchell Tinsley, whose 39-yard touchdown in Saturday’s game was another strong showing for the undrafted rookie. 

“I feel like I took advantage of my opportunities when I got them,” said Tinsley, who finished with three catches for 89 yards. 

Tight end (4): Logan Thomas, Cole Turner, John Bates and Alex Armah. It’s funny, the difference a scheme change can make for a player. No player has arguably benefitted more from offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy’s arrival than Armah — formerly a little-used fullback whose ability to block has gone a long way in boosting his stock.

The Commanders have used Armah as both a fullback and a tight end this summer. His positional flexibility should give him an edge over someone like Curtis Hodges, who has had an inconsistent offseason with drops. 

Offensive line (10): Charles Leno, Saahdiq Charles, Nick Gates, Sam Cosmi, Andrew Wylie, Cornelius Lucas, Chris Paul, Ricky Stromberg, Trent Scott and Braeden Daniels. This unit is still coming together — as evidenced by the fact that Charles, Gates, Cosmi were the only projected Week 1 starters to suit up for Saturday’s game. Washington also has difficult decisions to make along the line before Tuesday’s cutdown day. 

Will the team, for instance, keep five tackles? Fourth-rounder Braeden Daniels is still very much a work in progress, which might create room for the Commanders to keep Scott — a six-year veteran who has primarily worked with the second unit all offseason. The surprising omission might be center Tyler Larsen, but Stromberg — who can play center and guard — has made nice strides over the last few weeks to show that he might not be the developmental piece Washington first projected when it drafted him in the third round. 

Defensive line (11): Chase Young, Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne, Montez Sweat, Efe Obada, James Smith-Williams, Casey Toohill, K.J. Henry, Andre Jones Jr., Phidarian Mathis and John Ridgeway. Keeping 11 defensive line might seem excessive, but that’s a reflection of this being the deepest position on Washington’s roster. 

Jones, a seventh-round rookie, has rocketed up the depth chart to earn his spot, and it would be surprising if the Commanders cut Henry — a fifth-round pick — as a rookie. If the Commanders decide to keep fewer than 11, that could mean bad news for a veteran like Smith-Wlliams. He started 14 games last year in filling in for Young (ACL), but isn’t as consistent of a pass rusher as Obada, Toohill and Jones. Still, Smith-Williams has the flexibility to kick inside and that’s been valued by Washington. 

Linebacker (4): Jamin Davis, Cody Barton, Khaleke Hudson and David Mayo. Besides the offensive line, this position is probably the biggest question mark on Washington’s roster. Davis’ legal uncertainty has overshadowed any growth he’s made in the offseason as he has another court date set for Aug. 31 in relation to his reckless driving charge. Barton, by contrast, has struggled to adapt to defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio’s scheme since signing a one-year deal in free agency. 

Hudson and Mayo are two reliable backups who can contribute on special teams, but aren’t likely to see extended playing time barring injury. 

Cornerback (5): Kendall Fuller, Emmanuel Forbes, Benjamin St-Juste, Danny Johnson and Christian Holmes. Of this group, only Holmes played in Saturday’s finale — an indication that Johnson, the team’s fourth corner, has secured his spot on the roster. The Commanders can also afford to keep just five corners because they like to deploy three-safety looks, which means Kam Curl (or second-rounder Quan Maritn) can take the place of a traditional slot cornerback. 

Safety (5): Kam Curl, Darrick Forrest, Percy Butler, Quan Martin, Jeremy Reaves. This has been set for months. Of the group, Butler appears poised to see the biggest increase in playing time as he’ll be the third safety alongside Curl and Forrest in Washington’s three-safety looks. Martin, a second rounder, still needs more development — though his performance in the last two preseason games was much better than his debut against Cleveland earlier this month. 

Kicker, punter and long snapper (3): Joey Slye, Tress Way, Camaron Cheeseman. No surprises here. Slye beat out Michael Badley to keep his spot as Washington’s kicker. Way is a two-time Pro Bowler. Cheeseman is the biggest question mark of this trio:

The second-year long snapper has looked shaky this preseason in his attempts to incorporate a different style of snapping the ball. But the Commanders never brought in competition to push Cheeseman and have expressed confidence that the issues will be corrected by Week 1.