Reviewing the roster limit
As you are probably aware, the NFL CBA allows each team to have 90 players on its offseason roster, but it also makes provisions for a 91st player who joins the team via the International Player Pathway
(IPP) program. For the last several years, the Commanders have made use of this IPP exemption, as they have again this season, so Washington’s offseason roster limit is once again 91 players.Washington’s 91st player via the IPP is currently edge rusher TJ Maguranyanga, who spent the 2025 season with
the Commanders as well.
Surprising number of roster changes since the Dolphins game
In the 4 days that followed the Dolphins game, the Commanders announced 8 roster moves.
Released/waived (2)
K Jake Moody
Most people were surprised, not by the result, but by the timing of the end of Washington’s kicker competition. With the release of Jake Moody, undrafted rookie place kicker Drew Stevens became the de facto winner of the the roster spot that the two had been competing for since OTAs. Now, Stevens will have two preseason games to build his confidence and cement his spot as the permanent kicker on a team that has signed 20 guys to the role in the past 25 seasons.
P Matt Haak
Another non-surprise came when the team released punter Matt Haak, who had been signed to punt during camp while Tress Way recovered from a pectoral injury he sustained during a “flex off” with former Redskins player and now-Hollywood actor Terry Crews.
Injured Reserve (2)
When a player is placed on injured reserve during training camp, he is ineligible to return to play for the team that season, though he can be waived with an injury settlement and play for another team when healthy.
RB Jerome Ford was put on IR with a hamstring injury.
WR River Cracraft was put on IR with an unspecified injury. Outside of the regular season and playoffs, NFL teams are not required to provide details about player health or injuries, though details will likely be reported by local media eventually.
Both players were long shots to earn a roster spot in their respective crowded position groups, and with the move to IR, neither will don the burgundy & gold again in the 2026 season.
Signed (4)
RB Craig Reynolds
With Jerome Ford headed to IR and Jeremy McNichols is out for “weeks” according to Dan Quinn, the team needed depth at the running back position. Craig Reynolds entered the NFL initially as an undrafted player with the Washington Redskins in 2019. More relevant to his recent signing, however, is the five years he spent with the Detroit Lions, where he was teammates in 2021 and 2023 with the Commanders current offensive coordinator David Blough.
TE Tre’ McKitty
Tre’ McKitty recently won the UFL championship with the Louisville Kings. His performance over the spring season—including two crucial catches in the UFL championship game—reignited NFL interest and earned him a successful workout with Washington. McKitty was a highly touted third-round pick by the Los Angeles Chargers in 2021, and Washington is providing a “now or never” opportunity to see if his raw athletic traits can finally be unlocked at the NFL level.
DT Maurice Hurst II
Defensive lineman Johnny Newton will miss several months after having surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle. Maurice Hurst II was signed to step directly into defensive rotations and absorb reps during padded and non-padded practices and the remaining preseason schedule. Hurst brings 65 games of NFL experience across his stints with the Raiders, 49ers, and Browns. Over the last three seasons in Cleveland, he proved to be an efficient rotational piece when healthy, accounting for 39 tackles, two sacks, and an interception.
LB Krys Barnes
Linebacker Jordan Magee has been dealing with a shoulder injury following the Dolphins game. Ale Kaho also got banged up against Miami but seems to be okay. Either way, the Commanders needed a reliable, healthy body to step into the second-team defensive rotations immediately. Unlike many late-preseason additions who are unproven, Barnes brings 75 games of NFL experience and 33 career starts across his time with the Packers, Cardinals, and Panthers. Having a veteran who has recorded multiple 80-plus tackle seasons ensures a higher floor for the defense if injuries linger.
Accounting for Laremy Tunsil & Johnny Newton
While Friday’s chart lists 91 players, we know already that two of those players, LT Laremy Tunsil and DL Johnny Newton, will not be on the active roster in Week 1.
Timing counts for a lot with players who suffer major injuries in training camp. Here’s a quick explanation of the considerations for placing player on IR under the relevant NFL rules:
1. The Pre-Cutdown Rule (Season-Ending)
As mentioned above, if the Commanders place Tunsil or Newton on IR during training camp before the final 53-man roster reduction deadline on Aug. 30, the player is automatically ruled out for the entire season. He would not be allowed to practice or play for Washington at any point during the year.
While Tunsil and Newton have already undergone surgery, head coach Dan Quinn said that doctors have not yet determined his recovery timeline for either player. If doctors determine, in the coming days, that Tunsil and/or Newton will not be able to return to play prior to mid-February, then the Commanders might choose to exercise this option.
2. The Cutdown Day Exception (Designated to Return)
NFL rules allow teams:
a. to designate, on cutdown day (Aug. 30), up to two injured players to return from IR during the season
b. alternatively, the team can carry a player onto the initial 53-man roster and move him to IR the following day (Aug. 31st) opening up a roster spot; the only reason to do this would be if the team needed to designate two other players to return at the time the initial roster was set on Aug. 30.
(Option A is almost certainly the one that the Commanders would choose in Tunsil’s case, probably Newton as well)
This approach (either option a or b) allows the player (Tunsil/Newton/both) to keep his season alive since it leaves the door open for him to return after sitting out a minimum of four games (obviously, in these two cases, it would be closer to four months than four games).
If doctors determine that the player’s (Tunsil’s/Newton’s/both) return to play could happen prior to mid-February, then the Commanders might choose this option to keep all possibilities on the table. The only cost to the team is the opportunity to carry one or two more players on the training camp roster between now and Aug. 30.
Not your typical depth chart
The chart below is only a depth chart insofar as it assigns players to positions and stacks them in an order.
The primary purpose of the chart is to keep track of the 91 guys that currently comprise the training camp roster, not to predict game-day alignments.
You will note, for example, that I have 12 offensive position stacks and 13 defensive position stacks on the chart despite the fact that a team can only field 11 players at one time.
You will also note that each player’s name appears only once regardless of the fact that he may play in multiple alignments or positions (e.g., an interior offensive lineman who can play center and both guard spots will appear at only one of those positions, not all of them). Again, this is by design, since the goal is to provide handy visual reference of the 91 individual players while also offering an overall snapshot of team strength and depth. The bias, though, is to provide a visual list of the full roster, not so much to create a game-ready depth chart.
Finally, you will also note that, where players are capable of playing more than one position (and likely to do so on game days), my decision on where to align them may be very different from your idea of where they belong.
A few recent changes in my presentation of the preseason 91-man depth chart
Position consolidation
At some position groups where players frequently change alignments, I have consolidated the chart somewhat.
With the offensive line, for the most part, starters align in the same position nearly all the time, barring injury, though backup offensive linemen tend to cover at least two different positions. For the offensive line, I have not consolidated the chart.
Here are my notes on recent consolidation of certain other position groups:
Inside linebacker
It’s unclear how many ILBs will be on the field at the same time from down to down. Traditionally, in a 3-4 defense, there would be two, but coordinator Daronte Jones could opt for just one in certain three-safety alignments, or three in 4-3 alignments or when using one of them as a ‘walk up’ linebacker as part of a simulated or actual pass rush. I have one group for ILB displayed graphically in 3 stacks.
Defensive line
Similary, DL personnel packages and alignments are expected to be fluid in Daronte Jones’ scheme. Daron Payne, for example, could line up as a 3-tech on 1st down, nose tackle on 2nd down, and 5-tech on 3rd down. Like the ILBs, I have one group for the DL, displayed graphically in 3 stacks.
Slot/Z receiver
The Commanders are blessed with a lot of players — Stefon Diggs, Luke McCaffrey, Jaylin Lane, Antonio Williams — who have the ability to play either in the slot or as the ‘z’ receiver (or even ‘x’ when Terry McLaurin is off the field). Here is the alignment by offensive snap count for these receivers in 2024 and/or 2025 (as indicated in chart):
Rather than dividing the group into slot vs ‘z’ on the chart, I have grouped 8 receivers into two stacks on the right side of the offensive chart.
Running back
With Bill Croskey-Merritt’s offseason work as a pass catcher and the proven ability of Rachaad White and Jeremy McNichols to run inside and/or outside zone in addition to being capable-to-outstanding receivers out of the backfield, I have eliminated the third-down back distinction and presented the team’s six active running backs graphically in two stacks.
Other notes on players of interest:
Cornerback
With the retirement of Ahkello Witherspoon and reports that Trey Amos might be healthy enough to play Week 1, I have moved Mikey Sainristil from backup slot corner to wide corner in the stack with Rasul Douglas. This simply reflects my belief that his primary competition is now with Douglas rather than with Amik Robertson, as well as the possibility that Amos may not be healthy enough to play Week 1, which is now just three weeks away. I expect the rest of training camp and preseason to have a big impact on which players we see in which roles in the defensive secondary during the September regular season games, making this a genuine competition.
Safety
Recent camp reports taken in the context of comments by Dan Quinn have led me to list Jeremy Reaves ahead of Will Harris for one of the safety positions. This simply reflects the appearance, based on camp reports, that Reaves is winning whatever competition is taking place; I’m confident that both players will make the 53-man roster and that both will get snaps in regular season games (though last week’s joint practice reports about Reaves seem to be a bit concerning). Quinn has said that Nick Cross and Reaves would likely play this week against the Lions after Quan Martin and Harris saw action in preseason Game 1 against Miami.
Nose Tackle
With the retirement of DJ Davidson, I have moved Shy Tuttle and Jeffrey M’ba into the second & third slots on the depth chart behind Tim Settle. I suspect that when Settle is off the field, it is more likely that Payne (or another ’starter’) will shift inside than it is that M’ba or Tuttle (or another player) will come off the sidelines. That said, coaches and analysts praised Tuttle’s play against the Dolphins and he has generated positive reports throughout training camp. Again, I, personally, expect to see a lot of alignment flexibility with the top-six defensive linemen.
Center / Guard
The team recently added three interior offensive linemen — Trey Hill, Max Scharping and Daniel Brunskill. Brunskill played left guard against the Dolphins and did not take a snap at center. Veteran Julian Good-Jones started against Miami but looked overmatched. On the other hand, sixth-round rookie Matt Gulbin drew praise from a number of analysts in the wake of his NFL debut on Friday against the ‘Phins. Presumed starting center Nick Allegretti returned to the practice field this week for the first time since suffering an injury on the first day of training camp, but is back on the shelf at least temporarily. I have listed Brunskill & Hill as backup guards, and promoted rookie Gulbin to primary backup at the center position, but I believe that the final decisions about the makeup of the Commanders interior offensive line positions will be complex, and that the final two weeks of training camp and preseason will factor heavily into the decisions about which players in this group make the final roster as backups. I wouldn’t be shocked to see Chris Paul beaten out at left guard by one of the recently signed veterans (or even the rookie Gulbin) by the time the 53-man roster becomes reality.
The updated offseason roster/depth chart
NOTES: The numbers that appear beside some players’ names are 2026 cap hits per Over the Cap. I have not included cap hits below $1.5m.
The Commanders currently have 44 defensive players, 44 offensive players and 3 special teams players.
Please note that assigned positions and color codes are my own personal opinions; they do not necessarily represent the thinking of Washington’s coaches or front office, nor are they necessarily consistent with fan consensus or the thoughts of other writers on Hogs Haven. Finally, when it comes to backup players, I don’t put much effort into making sure that they are on the right or left or behind the specific player that they backup. I mostly just try to fit everyone on the chart efficiently.
It’s also probably worth noting that my goal is primarily to illustrate the full offseason roster, not to create a conventional depth chart. I have, for example, 12 position stacks on offense and 13 on defense. Readers can project 11 or 12 personnel (or whatever else) on offense, as well as multiple defensive alignments.
