Poll questions!!
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Washington Commanders fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
This week we have two questions in the Reacts survey.
Question 1
Drafted players all have expectations in their rookie seasons, but those expectations may vary wildly based on draft position. A year ago, for example, many (but not all) Commanders fans expected Jayden Daniels to spend his rookie season establishing himself as the team’s “franchise quarterback”. Expectations for the third-round tackle, Brandon Coleman, were much less ambitious, while fans feelings about seventh round pick Javontae Jean-Baptiste might’ve been described more as ‘hope’ than ‘expectation’.
Despite being subject to the highest expectations of the 9-man group, Jayden Daniels probably did the most to out-perform those expectations in his rookie year.
The team drafted five more young men this offseason. Our question today is: Which of them is likely to most out-perform the expectations of his draft position as a rookie?
Question 2
The media was invited to attend a single day of Phase 3 OTAs last week, and, as always, they shared their observations, providing a single brief snapshot of the situation at the Commanders training facility.
One notable area of reporting last week was that three veteran players — WR Terry McLaurin, OT Laremy Tunsil, and CB Marshon Lattimore — were not present.
It seemed clear that McLaurin’s absence was related to his ongoing contract extension negotiations with the team. There had been plenty of angst about his absence under similar circumstances in 2022, but that all resolved itself in a positive manner. The feeling from most people seems to be that McLaurin has more than earned the benefit of the doubt — that he is simply ‘taking care of business’ and that everything will get worked out quickly. In short, nothing to see here.
The situation with the other two veterans, each acquired via trade since the start of November, is less clear cut. Either or both could be attempting to negotiate new contract terms since both have 2 seasons remaining with little or no guaranteed money but there have been no reports that Adam Peters is negotiating revised contracts with either player. Neither was with the team last offseason when Dan Quinn was talking openly about the importance of the offseason program.
Tunsil’s situation seems to get put into perspective by two mitigating factors. First, he had a history of not attending offseason programs in Houston. Second, he was a pro bowl player in each of the last three seasons. If he has been successful in the recent past without attending Spring training sessions, many fans seem ready to accept that this is just part of the package that comes with this top-tier left tackle.
Lattimore’s situation is different in that he has been on the Commanders roster since the middle of the ‘24 season. Due to injury at the time of the mid-season trade, he missed more games than he played, but when he was on the field, there was a lot of poor play and far too many penalties. He rarely looked like the 2017 Defensive Rookie of the Year, 4-time Pro Bowler, and ‘shut down’ corner that fans hoped he would be when Peters traded for him. Lattimore’s rocky start with the Commanders means that some people — not all — feel that he is on a shorter leash and has not earned the same benefit of the doubt as Tunsil and McLaurin. Others feel little or no concern about an 8-year veteran missing voluntary Spring workouts.
In today’s second question, we explore that by asking how concerned you are by the fact that CB Marshon Lattimore was reported to have missed the voluntary OTAs.
Comments & Results
Of course, we invite you to answer the survey questions below, but also feel free to expand on your answers and provide nuance in the comments section. I rely on those comments when discussing the results of the survey when they are posted in a separate article the next few days.