The 2024 Washington Commanders saw a ton of roster turnover from the trash heap that Ron Rivera assembled in his four years here. To say he left the cupboards pretty bare is an understatement.
New general manager Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn brought in over 20 new free agents this spring, added nine draft picks and 11 undrafted free agents. That’s over 40 players that weren’t with the team last season!
It’s safe to say that Washington will have at least 12 new starters when the season begins in Tampa on September 8th.
With so many new faces, many on just one-year deals, and 20 current rookies in the mix, it’s hard to point to core players who this team can build around for the future.
It’s also tough to include rookies because we’ve yet to see them play a game in the NFL, however one rookie, quarterback Jayden Daniels, will certainly fall into this group.
With that in mind, I have put quarterback in a separate category, and after that, listed my five players (non-rookies), who I feel the new staff can build around.
Quarterback:
Jayden Daniels – I don’t like to put rookies on this list, but Jayden has the potential to be special, and we’ll certainly build around him until we see something that tells us we shouldn’t. For now, let’s assume we have finally found our quarterback and Daniels ascends to a top 10 player at his respective position.
5 Core Players Quinn and Peters can Build Around:
Jahan Dotson – The former first round pick had a rough sophomore season, but inconsistent quarterback play, a poor offensive line and atrocious play calling all may have attributed to that. Dotson will enter year three with lofty expectations and if he lives up to them, he can be a staple of this offense for years to come.
Sam Cosmi – Cosmi doesn’t play one of the big 3 positions on the O-line (LT, RT, C), but he’s a young, ascending player at right guard and one who the team can build around for the foreseeable future. If he performs at a high level again this season, he’s in for a big contract extension.
Daron Payne – Payne enters his seventh NFL season and will soon turn 27 years old. He has a lot left in the tank and has All-Pro potential; he just needs the right situation and coaching to bring that out. Enter Dan Quinn!
Emmanuel Forbes – One would hope that a CB taken with a mid-first round pick would be a staple of the defense for years to come. Forbes struggled as a rookie, but many will point to a poor scheme and terrible coaching as a reason why. If he can bounce back this year and show the play-making ability he was drafted for, he could be a staple for this defense for years to come. If he flops again at corner, he may have a future as a ball-hawking free safety.
Quan Martin – Folks have raved about Martin’s leadership and intelligence – two things that Adam Peters and Dan Quinn seem to value in a football player. Martin started off his rookie year slowly but grew as the season progressed. He has the ability to play a lot of positions on defense, including safety, slot corner and dime linebacker.
Now, I understand this list may not look too promising – especially on the offensive side of the ball, but remember, we are assuming we have taken care of the quarterback position for the foreseeable future, and we have some promising rookies in Luke McCaffrey, Brandon Coleman and Ben Sinnott who could become significant contributors, and building blocks, in the future.
On paper the defense looks a bit better, but remember, many of the new faces are on one-year deals. Frankie Luvu and Dorance Armstrong can both become impact players, and both are here on three-year deals, however Luvu will turn 28 this fall and Armstrong will be 27 in the summer. I’m not sure the new staff will view either as a player you build around. The rookies that were brought in – Newton, Sainristil and Magee, all have some great upside and it will be fun to watch them mature.
Overall, this team is in a lot better shape than when the 2023 season ended. Adam Peters has done a nice job of filling holes and, fingers crossed, making this team competitive in 2024. The key will be how the young players preform and who will take the next steps towards stardom.
Please discuss in the comments section who you feels are the core players (non-rookies with the exception of QB), that this team can build around. What rookies do you think will eventually make this list?
Did Forbes and Martin show enough last year to earn a spot on this list? If not, who would you replace them with and why? Does Jahan Dotson deserve a spot here over a player like Brian Robinson?