Malik Spencer is a rarity amongst Washington Commanders undrafted free agents. The four-year senior spent his entire college career at Michigan State with no transfers and never received a redshirt or an additional COVID year. A three-star recruit out of high school, he originally committed to the University of Colorado with former MSU head coach Mel Tucker.
Spencer followed him when he announced that he would be returning there. Malik had a quiet freshman year, appearing in just five games due to
injury. He followed it up with a breakout 2023 season, ranking second on the team in tackles (72) and pass breakups (6) while playing over 600 defensive snaps. There was some discussion at the time of Spencer being a potential first-round pick.
Meanwhile, Michigan State replaced interim coach Harlon Barnett, who had taken over when Tucker was suspended and eventually fired early in the 2023 season. At a crossroads in his career, Spencer opted to honor his commitment to Michigan State and stay with the program following the hiring of new head coach Jonathan Smith and incoming defensive coordinator John Rossi. He expounded on his reasoning in this interview with a local news channel:
Similar to Washington’s other undrafted free agents, the rest of Spencer’s college career did not go as planned. He suffered a regression in 2024 instead of taking another step forward, and then missed multiple games due to injury. His production fell to 44 tackles, two pass breakups, a forced fumble and his first interception.
The biggest issue was in coverage, where, according to Pro Football Focus, Spencer was targeted 20 times and allowed 14 receptions for 212 yards and four touchdowns. He earned a 59.7 overall grade, the lowest in his three-year career in East Lansing. He bounced back somewhat in 2025, compiling 52 tackles, five passes-defensed, and two sacks.
Unfortunately, he also struggled in coverage against Michigan in the team’s rivalry game, allowing two touchdowns to tight end and future first-round NFL draft pick Colston Loveland, one on a broken coverage and the other by biting on a trick play.
The encouraging thing about Spencer is the potential to be a mid-round draft pick is clear. His development just didn’t follow the linear path it needed for him to realize it. He is a decent athlete, if a bit undersized at 6-foot-1 and 196-pounds. Malik also has a solid 4.51 40-time, but his agility scores will limit his performance at the next level.
Unsurprisingly, Spencer profiles as more of a hybrid or in-the-box type safety. He is strong in run support and not afraid to be physical over the middle. Versatility is his calling card, and Spencer is capable of lining up at multiple spots and contributing in various defensive packages and schemes. Spencer may struggle to mirror and match receivers, and his situational awareness and deep coverage needs work. His man coverage skills also need development, but he is a good fit for a zone scheme as outlined in his NFLDraftBuzz profile.
At the next level, Spencer’s skill set translates best to a strong safety or box defender role with the ability to contribute in sub-packages. His aptitude in run support and playmaking ability in zone coverage suggest he could thrive in a system that utilizes safeties in multiple ways. Teams running zone-heavy schemes or those that frequently deploy big nickel packages could view Spencer as a valuable depth piece with possible starter upside.
You may see some of Spencer’s work here.
He checks a lot of boxes for Commanders defensive coorrdinator Daronte Jones. He’s versatile, a zone fit, a good tackler, and strong in run support. The issue is that he slots in behind multiple young veterans with a similar profile. Even for a team expected to utilize a lot of three-safety sets, there is not much room left to carve out a spot. While Spencer also brings special teams ability, he will be competing for a spot there behind All-Pro Jeremy Reaves and plus special teamers, in Percy Butler and Tyler Owens. Robert McDaniel is also returning and the team signed former 49er Qwuantrezz Knight to a futures contract in January.
To see the safety’s fit with the Washington Commanders, it needs to be viewed through a long-term lens. There are two aspects that are working in Spencer’s favor. First, as a true four-year senior, Malik is only 23 years old. Second, no safeties on the roster outside of Nick Cross and Jeremy Reaves are signed beyond this season. If Spencer can show enough to warrant a practice squad spot, he could buy time to build up his strength, develop his coverage skills, and prove his versatility in Jones’ system with an eye towards next year’s roster. He will need to make plenty of plays like these in camp and preseason to prove his potential.
