The Commanders’ second season under the Peters/Quinn regime has started out as a roller coaster ride, with the team alternating between wins and losses each week so far.
As we pass the quarter season mark, players are beginning to accumulate enough playing time to begin getting a feel of how they are doing from a statistical perspective. While injuries to key players have dominated the headlines in the early part of season, there have also been some breakout performances by young players, and some strong
performances from new additions and returning vets, including some of the oldest players on the roster.
To give fans something to read as we wait for the Commanders to take on the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football, I thought this would be a good time to recap some of the stronger performances by the team’s players, including a few which are flying under the radar.
So here is a recap of Commanders who are at or near the top of leaders boards, real or made up for the occasion, after five games.
CB Trey Amos *Rookie*
2025 Draft, Round 2, Pick 61
2025 Stats: 5 Games | 254 Def Snaps | 2 PD | 15 Tgt | 8 Rec | 100 yds | 7 tkl | 4 asst | 1 stop
Rather than the obvious choice, I decided to start by highlighting one of the more impressive players in the rookie class who is not getting the attention he deserves because we don’t know how to grade players at his position.
When people compare CBs, they usually talk about interceptions and pass breakups. While these can be game changing plays, they are also rare events that happen at most a few times a game. What we should be comparing is how CBs perform in their primary assignment – covering receivers to prevent targets and receptions.
Readers who are familiar with my articles will know I have been promoting Yards/Coverage Snap (Y/Cov Snp) as a metric for CB performance in coverage. As it turns out, it was one of the metrics that impressed the Commanders when they were evaluating Trey in the draft process. Y/Cov Snap is the rate of yardage allowed in coverage. It represents the net outcome of everything a CB does to contain his receivers, including jamming routes, preventing separation and defending passes in the air. Dividing receiving yardage allowed in coverage by the number of coverage snaps enables fair comparison between CBs with different amounts of playing time.
The following table shows the top 20 lockdown corners among “starting” CBs through Week 5. In actual fact, “starts” is a fairly meaningless stat for CBs, so instead I ranked the 96 players with the most playing time. That resulted in a threshold of 125 defensive snaps. The table also shows the top 20 ballhawks. These are the starting CBs with the highest rate of Passes Defended (PD %), which is Pass Breakups + Interceptions as a percentage of Coverage Snaps.
Through five games, Trey Amos has played 76% of defensive snaps, which is the sixth most playing time among Commanders’ defenders. According to PFF, he has been targeted 15 times in 155 coverage snaps, allowing 8 receptions (53.3%) for 100 yds, with no TDs. At 0.645 Y/Cov Snap, his rate of yardage allowed in coverage is the 15th lowest among NFL starters.
Trey isn’t the best rookie CB by these metrics. That would be the Cardinals’ Will Johnson, picked 14 spots before him. Johnson is the 9th best lockdown CB through Week 5, and leads the league in Pass Defense Rate. But the Commanders’ second round pick is one of only two rookie CBs to rank among the top 20 lockdown corners in the league.
It is worth mentioning that advanced coverage stats require making judgement calls about coverage assignments. As a result, numbers differ somewhat between stats services. Pro Football Reference gives Trey the following stat line: 4 PD, 18 Tgt, 10 Rec, 125 yds. Using PFR’s figures puts Trey at 0.806 Y/Cov Snp, which is still in the top 30 starting CBs in a veritable tie with Quinyon Mitchell.
While PFR’s figures drop Trey off the Lockdown Corner leaders board, they also move him up to 9th place on the Ballhawk leaders board. The extra 2 PDs PFR credit him with raises his Pass Defense Rate from 1.29% (Rank 43rd/96) to 2.58%, pushing him past the Giants’ Cor’Dale Flott.
Washington’s Other CBs: The Commanders’ veteran CBs have not been as effective at containing receiving yardage as their rookie teammate. But then again, only 14 CBs have. Marshon Lattimore ranks 58th out of 96 “starters” at 1.062 Y/Cov Snap. Mike Sainristil is just behind him in 60th place at 1.074 Y/Cov Snap.
Lattimore ranks 31st in Pass Defense Rate, at 1.70% of coverage snaps. Sainristil ranks 51st at 1.14%.
However, Sainristil’s two passes defended were interceptions. Sainristil is currently in a four-way tie for the most interceptions among “starting” CBs and ranks 2nd in Interception Rate per coverage snap. However, Seattle’s Derion Kendrick also has 2 INT and just missed the playing time cutoff for inclusion with the starters. Adding Derion to the mix drops Mikey to 3rd place in Interception rate, which is still very good.
RB Jacory “Bill” Croskey-Merritt *Rookie*
2025 Draft, Round 7, Pick 247
2025 Rushing: 5 Games | 52 Off Snaps | 43 att | 283 yds | 6.6 Y/A | 4 TD | 17 1st downs | 1 fum | 4.40 YAC/att |10 FMT | 72.1% Success Rate
2025 Receiving: 7 tgt | 5 rec | 71.4% rec | 54 yds | ADOT -1.6 yds |12.2 YAC/rec | 57.1% Success Rate
I’d just like to take this opportunity to point out that I spotted Bill when he was just a promising late round sleeper prospect who burst onto scouts’ radar with an MVP performance at the East-West Shrine Game.
But seriously, Bill has received so much press after his breakout performance against the Chargers that there is no need to go into great detail here. Some highlights:
- First among RBs in rushing Yards/Attempt (min 20 att)
- First in the NFL in Rushing Success Rate across all positions (min 20 att)
- Despite being 31st in rushing attempts, he is in a 6-way tie for 4th most rushing TDs. Not surprisingly then, he is first in the NFL in percentage of rushing attempts resulting TDs at 9.3%.
- Second among RBs in Yards After Contact/Attempt (first: RJ Harvey, 4.45 YAC/att)
WR/PR Jaylin Lane *Rookie*
2025 Draft, Round 4, Pick 128
2025 Punt Returns: 12 ret | 177 yds | 14.8 Y/Att | 1 TD | long 90 yds | 2 muffs
The rookie from VA Tech is still coming up to speed as a wide receiver, but has already established himself as one of the NFL’s most explosive punt returners. Lane led the league in punt return average in Week 3, at a sensational 17.7 Y/A with 1 TD. He has since dropped to 8th place at 14.8 Y/A after lacklustre performances against the Falcons and Chargers. He is one of 6 players in the NFL with a punt return TD.
DE Dorance Armstrong
2024 FA signing, 2025 Cap Number $10.2 million, Age 28
2025 Stats: 5 Games | 199 Def. Snaps | 5 sacks | 18 pressures | 15 tkl | 7 asst | 7 TFL | 15 stops
Dorance currently ranks 5th in the NFL in and just 22nd in total pressures. However, he has played less than many of the players with higher totals, because the Commanders rotate their defensive linemen so much.
Correcting differences in playing time reveals that he has sacked the QB at the second highest rate in the NFL (min 120 defensive snaps). Dorance has generated sacks on 4.2% of pass rush downs. Only Nik Bonitto has sacked QBs more frequently at 6.1% of pass rush downs.
Dorance has 4 more sacks than the player he replaced in Washington, Montez Sweat (Sack Rate 1.1%, rank 49), as well as Dante Fowler (Sack Rate 0.9%, rank 57), who was Washington’s sack leader last year.
Washington’s Other Edge Defenders: Von Miller has 3 sacks in just 85 pass rush snaps. He ranks 8th in the NFL with a 3.5% Sack Rate.
WR/KR Deebo Samuel
2025 trade acquisition, Cap Number $5.15 million, Age 29
2025 Receiving: 5 Games | 235 Off Snaps | 38 tgt | 30 rec (72.7%) | ADOT 6.7 yds | 2.05 Y/RR | 165 YAC | 6 CTC | 9 MFT | 57.9% Success Rate
2025 Rushing: 7 att | 46 yds | 1 TD | 85.7% Success Rate
There was some concern when the Commanders traded a fifth round pick for Deebo that he might become a bust because was over weight and over the hill. Deebo has silenced his doubters by stepping up to fill the void when WR1 Terry McLaurin was injured. He is currently the Commanders leading receiver, with twice the receiving total of then next player behind him, and has earned places on leaders boards as a receiver, rusher and kick returner.
Deebo is just 20th in the NFL in receiving yards. However, he is 6th in Yards After the Catch and is in a 3-way tie with Garrett Wilson and Jakobi Meyers for most Forced Missed Tackles on receptions. He has also in a 10-way tie for the 6th most contested catches.
Deebo also has the fourth most rushing yards among WRs, and has the highest Rushing Success Rate among WRs (min 2 rushing attempts).
Last but not least, Deebo is 2nd in the NFL in kick return average at 31.6 Y/A (min 6 attempts).
MLB Bobby Wagner
2025 FA, Cap Number $9.0 million, Age 35
2025 Stats: 5 Games | 334 Def Snaps | 26 tkl | 30 asst | 4 TFL | 20 stops | 2 sk
Washington’s ageless wonder is currently 2nd in the NFL in combined tackles (56), and is just 1 short of the leader, Miami’s Jordyn Brooks. More important than total tackles are Defensive Stops – tackles that cause the offensive play to fail. Wagner is currently 4th in the league in Defensive Stops.
WR/KR Luke McCaffrey
2024 Draft, Round 3, Pick 100
2025 Receiving: 5 Games | 86 Off Snaps | 9 tgt | 7 rec (77.8%) | 146 yds | 2 TD | ADOT 16.8 yds | 77.8% Success Rate
2025 Special Teams: 65 ST Snaps | 2 tkl | 1 asst | 12 k ret | 377 yds | 31.4 Y/Att | long 58 yds
The Commanders’ second year player has shown tremendous growth as a wide receiver. In his fourth year playing the position, since switching from QB in college, he has already pulled to within 22 yds of his rookie receiving total, and has become the Commanders’ most productive receiver this season at 2.92 Y/RR (6th in NFL, min 6 tgt). Commanders’ QBs have a 158.3 Passer Rating when throwing to him. He currently ranks 10th in the NFL in Receiving Success Rate across all positions, and ranks 2nd among WRs (min 6 targets).
Where Luke has shined the most this season is on special teams. Luke has played the 6th most special teams snaps on the Commanders, as a kick returner and on kickoff coverage and punt return units. He currently ranks 3rd in the NFL in kick return average (min 6 attempts), and 4th in total kick return yards, with no fair catches, drops, fumbles or penalties.
LT Laremy Tunsil
2025 trade acquisition, 2025 Cap Number $6.8 million, Age 31
2025 Stats: 5 games | 313 Off Snaps | 6 pressures | 1 sack | 6 penalties | PFF Run Block Grade: 66.3
Tunsil was Adam Peters’ biggest offseason addition, and his biggest trade acquisition to date in Washington. He was brought in on a 3-year, $75 million contract to shore up an inconsistent OL and protect the franchise QB and hopefully stabilize the run blocking. The early indications are positive. Through 5 games, Tunsil has allowed pressure on just 3.08% of dropbacks, which ranks 9th best among 68 OTs who have played more than 100 offensive snaps. His rate of sacks allowed (1 sk/195 pass block snaps = 0.513%), ranks 29th/68 OTs. His PFF run block grade ranks 26th/68 OTs.
Commanders fans may also be relieved to know that Tunsil is no longer the most penalized OT. With 6 total penalties and 3 accepted, he currently ranks 5th in the league in penalties at his position (or in a 4-way tie for 2nd place, if you don’t think it matters if penalties were declined).
P Tress Way/Punt Return Coverage Unit
2014 UDFA, 2025 Cap Number $1.42 million, Age 35
2025 Stats: 16 punts | 76.4 yds | 47.8 Y/P | 43.1 net Y/P | 9 ret | 35 yds | 3.9 Y/ret
Way is the longest tenured Commander, and has spent his entire career in Washington. Tress has often been the team’s best player including 2 Pro Bowl seasons. Amazingly, in his 12th year in Washington, he has still managed to climb to the top of a leaders’ board. After Week 5, the Commanders’ punter has achieved the lowest punt return average in the NFL at a measly 3.9 yards per return (min 6 att). Tress shares credit for the first place ranking with the Commanders’ exceptional return coverage unit.
TL;DR – Summary
Commanders’ rookie CB Trey Amos is the 15th ranked lockdown corner in the NFL according to PFF stats. He ranks 9th in the NFL in Pass Defense Rate using Pro Football Reference numbers.
CB Mike Sainristil is tied for most interceptions among starting CBs, and ranks 2nd or 3rd in Interception Rate, depending on who you call a starter.
RB Bill Croskey-Merritt leads the league in rushing Yards/Attempt, Rushing Success Rate, and TD Rate (percentage of rushing attempts that score). He is second among RBs in YAC/att.
WR/PR Jaylin Lane ranks 8th in punt return average and is one of only 6 players with a punt return TD.
DE Dorance Armstrong ranks 2nd in the league in Sack Rate (percentage of pass rush snaps with a sack). Von Miller is 8th. Jacob Martin is in 43rd place at 1.3%.
WR/KR Deebo Samuel is in a 3-way tie for most Forced Missed Tackles on receptions. He has the highest Rushing Success Rate among RBs, and ranks 2nd in the NFL in kick return average.
LB Bobby Wagner is 2nd in the NFL in combined tackles and 4th in Defensive Stops.
WR/KR Luke McCaffrey ranks 2nd in Receiving Success Rate among WRs and 10th among all receivers. He also ranks 3rd in the NFL in kick return average.
LT Laremy Tunsil ranks 9th among OTs in Pressure Rate allowed in pass protection.
P Tress Way and the Commanders’ punt coverage unit rank 1st in the NFL in average yardage allowed on punt returns.
