There was a bit more to see from starters and likely major contributors in the Commanders’ second preseason game. But Dan Quinn kept the emphasis on evaluating players destined for the depth ranks and roster hopefuls. Much of the playing time on Monday night was devoted to players who are unlikely to play on offense or defense for the Commanders this season. And many of the players who took snaps will be on other teams’ practice squads or playing in the UFL.
But enough about them. This article is about highlighting
players who took advantage of the MNF spotlight to help their chances of earning playing time for the Commanders this season, as a well as a few established roster locks who showed promising signs for the upcoming season.
One major difference from the preseason opener against the Patriots is that the coaching staff made a major shift of emphasis from the passing game to the running game. In sharp contrast to the 41:25 rushing to passing balance last week, on Monday night, Kliff Kingsbury called just 19 passing plays to 30 rushing attempts. With three of the Commanders’ starting OL on the field for a full 7 offensive snaps, this gave fans a bit more of a taste of what to expect from the revamped rushing attack this season.
While there were plenty of flashes from the Commanders’ young players and new additions, the biggest breakout performance was from Washington’s 2024 UDFA signee and Mason-Brennan Award finalist, WR Mitchell Tinsley, playing for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Tinsley led all receivers Monday night with a 5/5, 73 yd, 2 TD performance, including a perfect reception rate on 3 contested catches and elite-level productivity of 3.17 Y/RR. Tinsley made a compelling case for a roster spot, but it still might not have been enough to earn a spot in an exceptionally deep WR room. If the Bengals try to stash him on the PS, plenty of teams will be eying the waver wire. Might Adam Peters be in the mix to get him back?
While Tinsley hogged the spotlight, there was still plenty to see in burgundy and mustard. Let’s have a look at who made the most of their opportunities in the Commanders’ second preseason game.
Offense
Offensive Line
While a few questions remain, the Commanders seem to be settled on their starters and primary backups on the OL. The main competition at this point is for last few backup positions. A few young guns are trying to unseat aging veterans for those positions.
C Michael Dieter (6’5”, 315 lbs, RAS 5.64) – Believe it or not, backup center Michael Dieter, whom everyone loves to hate, pitched a perfect game in pass protection, while splitting snaps between his main position and LG. He failed to yield a single pressure in 21 pass blocking snaps, albeit against the Bengals’ reserves and roster hopefuls. PFF gave him a 62.6 run block grade, which is not bad.
OT Trent Scott (6’ 5”, 320 lbs, RAS 1.25) – Backup OL Trent Scott played 37 snaps at LT and yielded just one QB hurry while earning a 60.2 blocking grade.
LG Chris Paul (6’4”, 323 lbs, RAS 9.43) – third year reserve guard Chris Paul had a more uneven performance than last week. He posted the highest run blocking grade on the OL (67.5), but allowed 2 pressures in only 9 pass blocking snaps, for an extremely high 22.2% pressure rate.
RT Josh Conerly Jr (6’ 5”, 311 lbs, 8.85 RAS) – The rookie OT delivered the second highest run blocking grade on the OL (65.4). He yielded one QB hurry in 9 pass block snaps, for an 11.1% pressure rate. He has played too few reps for that to mean much. OTs frequently take a season or two to settle into the role at the NFL level.
RT Bobby Hart (6’4’, 310 lbs, RAS 1.6) – The journeyman backup OL had a second solid preseason outing, posting his second straight perfect game in pass protection, while splitting time between RT (23 snaps) and LT (8 snaps). Through two preseason games, he has not yielded a pressure in 46 pass block snaps. He earned a middling 56.0 run block grade. Hart is still a longshot to make the roster, but one thing in his favor is that he has versatility to play G and OT.
Tight End
Speaking of blocking, there were some very good performances from the tight ends.
John Bates (6’6”, 256, RAS 6.79) – Bates only played seven snaps with the first team offense, and used the opportunity to remind everyone that he is the best blocking tight end in the league. He laid down key run blocks, which helped clear the way for big runs by the RBs. For his efforts, he earned a 72.1 blocking grade. Bates even took 1 snap from the fullback alignment.
Cole Turner (6’6”, 240 lbs, RAS 7.44) – Some fans might have forgot that Rivera draft pick Cole Turner is still with the team. According to PFF, he bettered Bates with a 75.2 run blocking grade in 6 run block snaps, with 1 at FB (16.7% of total snaps). Turner also caught his lone target for a 9 yd reception and was the most efficient receiver on the team at 4.5 Yards/Route Run. Maybe he’ll get two targets next game.
Colson Yankoff (6’4”, 225 lbs, RAS 9.56) – The highest run blocking grade on the team (78.7) went to second year special teams ace, Colson Yankoff. Off course, he only played 5 run block snaps, with none taken at fullback. He also led the team with 2 tackles on special teams.
Wide Receiver
The competition for the last one or two roster spots at WR is the most fiercely contested position battle this preseason. Six WRs had at least one target on Monday night. It is likely that, at most, only two or three of them will make the 53 man roster. And one of those roster spots is a lock.
Jaylin Lane (5’10”, 191 lbs, 4.34 sec 40, RAS 9.68u) – Lane’s talents were showcased as an outside receiver (15 snaps) and in the slot (11 snaps). He only caught 3/6 targets, but led the team with 42 receiving yards. Two of his targets were contested opportunities and he hauled in one of them. His productivity of 3.00 Y/RR was verging on elite territory.
Tay Martin (6’ 3”, 185 lbs, 4.58 sec 40, RAS 6.49) – The next best receiver for the Commanders might have been roster hopeful Tay Martin. Martin followed up last week’s solid performance by catching his lone target for 15 yards, the second highest receiving total on the team. In two preseason outings, Martin is a perfect 4/4 for 51 yds.
No other receiver was targeted more than twice.
Deebo Samuel (6’0”, 215 lbs, 4.48 sec 40, RAS 7.92) – The Commanders’ marquee FA addition on offense played a whopping total of four offensive snaps. On one of them, he took a jet sweep for 19 yds, forcing a missed tackle and picking up 7 yards after contact. He was not targeted as a receiver.
Running Backs
I saved the most energizing performances on offense for last.
Chris Rodriguez (6’0”, 217 lbs, 4.52 sec 40, RAS 7.71) – While everyone was tuned into to see Bill Croskey-Merritt, former Rivera pick Chris Rodriguez made the biggest splash with a 40 yard breakaway run. His stat line for the evening was 6/62 (10.3 Y/A) and 3 first downs, with 2 forced missed tackles. Taking away the 40 yard run, he averaged 4.4 Y/A, which is still pretty good. But no one can take away that 40 yard run.
CRod is competing with Jeremy McNichols, Demetric Felton and Kaz Allen for the third or fourth positions on the RB depth chart. His performance on Monday night might have helped him stay ahead of Felton and Allen. And who would have guessed that he has nearly identical measurables to Deebo Samuel?
Jacory “Bill” Croskey-Merritt (5’ 10”, 208 lbs, 4.45 sec 40, RAS 8.29) – If I had told you two weeks ago that the Commanders’ seventh round pick was about to become the hottest player in fantasy football drafts, readers would have said I was getting high on my own supply. But that’s where we seem to have got to, thanks to another electrifying run former New Mexico Lobo.
Commander Bill shot up fantasy draft boards following a 27 yard TD run on Monday Night Football, which was perfectly timed to coincide with the news that the team is looking to move on from lead back Brian Robinson. He finished the evening with 11 runs for 46 yds (4.2 Y/A) and 5 forced missed tackles. Through 2 preseason games, he has forced 7 missed tackles in 18 rushing attempts, which equates to 39% of rushing attempts.
While his stats might have been inflated by one big run, he also didn’t get much help from his blockers on most of his runs. Fourty three of Bill’s 46 rushing yards were gained on 3 runs around right end, including the TD run. On those runs, he averaged 10.3 Yards Before Contact. On 8 runs around the left end, left and right A gaps and right C gap, he averaged -0.875 YBC and gained a total of 3 yds. Even a back who is gifted at making defenders miss won’t get far if he is getting hit behind the LOS consistently.
I’m looking forward to see what he can do running behind the OL starters.
Defense
Interior Defensive Line
This week the Commanders unveiled their secret weapon on defense.
Ricky Barber (6’1”, 296 lbs, RAS 4.85) – I have been telling people that Ricky Barber is timing his move. This week he took the first step. In just 16 defensive snaps on the interior, the UDFA out of Central Florida generated 2 QB hurries, and made 1 tackle for a run stop. That was good for a 28.6% Pressure Rate and an 11.1% Run Stop Rate, both elite figures if they were season stats against NFL starters. It was an auspicious start for a player who is hoping to claw his way onto the end of an NFL roster, and almost enough to forgive 1 missed tackle.
Javon Kinlaw (6’5”, 319 lbs, RAS – unknown) – Did you think the secret weapon was Kinlaw? Well, his numbers weren’t as impressive as Barber’s, but in 10 defensive snaps, mostly at DT, Kinlaw looked the part, registering a QB hurry (16.7% Pressure Rate), 2 tackles, and 1 run stop (25% Run Stop Rate). Kinlaw’s numbers were also in the elite range as season stats, but it would be unfair to compare him to Ricky Barber.
Edge Defenders
The Edge Defenders’ performance on Monday Night might help to ease lingering concerns about the effectiveness of Washington’s pass rush after the departure of last year’s sack leader.
Jacob Martin (6’2”, 242 lbs, RAS 8.3) – The late offseason signing of Von Miller might have raised some doubts about Martin’s future as the Commanders’ pass rush specialist. Martin’s performance against the Bengals might have helped make the case to find a way to keep him. In 14 pass rush snaps he registered 4 pressures, including a sack. That equates to a whopping 28.6% Pressure Rate.
Dorance Armstrong (6’4”, 255 lbs, RAS 5.89) – Armstrong is one of the Commanders most underrated players. He flashed what he is capable of, posting a sack in just 5 pass rush snaps.
Andre Jones Jr. (6’5”, 258 lbs, RAS) – Jones is one of the few remaining holdovers from the Rivera regime, who is battling to gain a foothold on the active gameday roster. In 36 defensive snaps, he recorded a 1 sack and 1 QB hurry (10.5% Pressure Rate), as well as making a stop against the run (6.3% Run Stop Rate). The Commanders need help at DE, and Jones kept himself in the competition for a rotational role.
Linebacker
The top of the LB depth chart is set, but there might be some level of competition for the fourth position on the depth chart. Most of the LBs playing on Monday night were competing for spots on the PS or other teams’ rosters.
Ale Kaho (6’1”, 231 lbs, RAS 7.33) – The UDFA from UCLA made an impact, with 4 tackles and 2 assists, including 2 defensive stops. He was targeted 3 times in coverage, allowing 2 receptions but only gave up 10 yards.
Kain Medrano (6’3”, 222 lbs, RAS 9.83) – Perhaps the most promising part of Medrano’s performance was what didn’t happen. The concern when the Commanders drafted him in the 6th round is that he had led the NCAA in missed tackles the previous season. Even the tackles in his highlight clips looked tentative. Against the Bengals, he made 2 tackles for run stops (20% Run Stop Rate), without missing any. He also kept a clean slate in coverage, with 0 targets in 18 coverage snaps. If he can tackle consistently, he could be a force as a coverage linebacker.
Cornerback
Mike Sainristil (5’9”, 182 lbs, 4.47 sec 40, RAS 8.51u) – Sainristil played 14 defensive snaps, with 8 in the slot, 4 out wide, and 2 in the box. He was targeted once in 9 coverage snaps and didn’t allow a reception.
Marshon Lattimore (6’0”, 192 lbs, 4.36 sec 40, RAS 9.99) – Before he was injured last season, Lattimore was the top shutdown corner in the NFL, allowing just 0.32 Yds/Coverage Snap, the lowest figure among starting outside CBs. On Monday Night, he kept a clean stat sheet, with 0 targets in 6 coverage snaps with the first team defense.
Safety
Quan Martin (5’11”, 194 lbs, 4.46 sec 40, RAS 9.28) – Quan played just 14 defensive snaps, but still managed to produce 2 defensive stops on passing plays. He was targeted once in coverage and allowed a reception for one yard.
Percy Butler (6’0”, 194 lbs, 4.36 sec 40, RAS 7.31) – Butler played 34 defensive snaps, mainly at FS, and recorded my favorite stat line of the game in coverage. He was targeted twice and allowed 1 reception for -1 yds (-0.042 Y/Cov Snap). He seems to be holding his own in the competition for backup safety spots. His contribution as a core special teamer will help him keep his roster spot.
Will Harris (6’1”, 206 lbs, 4.41 sec 40, RAS 9.65) – The Commanders new FA addition looked the part in 14 defensive snaps, split between the box, FS and the slot. He was targeted twice in coverage, without allowing a reception.
Robert McDaniel (6’2”, 211 lbs, 4.55 sec 40, RAS 8.84) – McDaniel is competing with Tyler Owens and Ben Nikkel for one of the last two safety spots if the Commanders keep 6. He aced the PFF grades, scoring above 71 in three defensive categories (Run 73.1, Tackling 78.9, Coverage 71.8). He made 1 tackle, with 4 assists. In 14 coverage snaps, he was targeted once, and allowed a reception for 6 yards. He also broke up a pass which he nearly intercepted, but it was called back due to a penalty (see below). He didn’t put up showy production stats, but an empty stat sheet can be good for a secondary player.
