The Washington Commanders’ roster hopefuls made their final case for the 53-man squad during Saturday’s 30-3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in the preseason finale. Now, they’re stuck in the waiting game — what many players and coaches call the NFL’s most depressing period.
Coach Dan Quinn and general manager Adam Peters have until 4 p.m. on Tuesday to cut 38 players from the 91-player offseason roster. Some of those decisions are harder than others.
Backup quarterback Sam Hartman, for example, has almost no chance of making the Commanders’ Week 1 roster.
The second-year passer entered camp in a battle with journeyman Josh Johnson for the third quarterback spot.
But Hartman’s rough preseason reached a new low on Saturday, as he committed three turnovers — including an interception returned for a touchdown — in one half of work. Johnson will almost certainly take the third spot on the depth chart behind Jayden Daniels and Marcus Mariota by default.
His struggles made it difficult, though not impossible, to evaluate a crowded wide receiver room.
“Are you in the right spot doing the right route?” Quinn asked his receivers after Hartman’s erratic day.
”If the ball doesn’t go your way, I think that’s more difficult than if you are getting covered and you got beat and the ball wasn’t able to go your way because of getting guarded in that way.”
The top four spots are clear. Terry McLaurin — who watched Saturday’s game from the sideline as he negotiates a new contract — is expected to lead a group that features former All-Pro Deebo Samuel, Noah Brown and fourth-round rookie Jaylin Lane.
It’s murky beyond that.
Second-year receiver Luke McCaffrey hasn’t produced highlight reel plays yet, though he added five catches for 23 yards on Saturday. His status as a third-round pick last year will likely preserve his spot on the active roster.
With McLaurin missing the entirety of training camp, McCaffrey has led Washington’s receivers in drills. He has split his time in practice between reps in the slot and outside, also working as a returner and coverage man on special teams.
“I do like the versatility that [he] does [have], outside to inside,” Quinn said. “I thought it won’t maybe show up all the way on the stat sheet, but he’s made an impact on the [special teams] side last week. I thought for him covering kicks, man, I felt it.”
The coach’s praises won’t make the coming hours any easier.
“It’s one of the worst times in football,” McCaffrey said ahead of the pending roster cuts.
Many of the players on the roster bubble will receive bad news between Saturday’s game and Tuesday’s deadline. Veterans K.J. Osborn and Michael Gallup may have to explore their options in the free agent market. Undrafted rookies Ja’Corey Brooks and Jacoby Jones will likely cross their fingers for a practice squad spot.
Some of them have reason for optimism. Quinn said second-year linebacker Jordan Magee impressed after struggling with injuries throughout his young career. As did undrafted rookie linebacker Ale Kaho.
“You never really know at the end of the day,” Magee said. “I try to come in, play to the best of my ability, and let the coaches and upper guys decide that.”
Despite the countless projections from the media, Quinn didn’t know what his final roster would look like.
He said Saturday that he’d need a long sit-down with his assistants and Peters’ personnel department to start drafting the depth chart.
It’s the worst part of his job, the longtime coach has said.
“This is a challenging time for us. You have to make difficult decisions,” Quinn said, noting Peters’ role in roster evaluations. “But we’ve been meeting a lot leading up until now. We watch practice together every day. We spend a lot of time, so the evaluations keep going.”
Questions will linger beyond Tuesday’s cutdown, too. Has kicker Matt Gay, whom the Commanders signed to a $4.25 million deal this offseason, done enough to keep the job? The 31-year-old missed two of his five preseason field goal attempts. He wasn’t automatic in practice sessions, either.
The Commanders could bring in new faces after cutdown day, combing the waiver wire to pick up the top players who were cut from other teams.
After that, it’s full-speed ahead for the regular season. The Commanders open the campaign at home on Sept. 7 against the New York Giants.
• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.
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