Commanders first unofficial depth chart

Breaking down the Commanders first unofficial depth chart

The Washington Commanders have released their first unofficial depth chart of the preseason. Now, it should be stated up front that this depth chart is very much a work in progress and not necessarily a fair representation of anything. Teams around the league are forced to put out an unofficial depth chart before preseason for the media and fans to see. There’s stories of coaches putting less than five minutes of thought into it because it’s just too early for a lot of these decisions to play out. There’s even some stories out there that some coaches just let their head media person do the depth chart, which should tell you how little it really matters.

However, as we’re now at the first week of preseason and there’s not much else to talk about. I figured we could take a look at the depth chart to see if there is anything of note and maybe use this as a base to branch off into some other discussions. So let’s get into it.

Offense

Starting with the offense, there’s not a huge amount of surprises here. At quarterback we know it’s Jayden Daniels as the starter with Marcus Mariota as the back up and then a competition between veteran Josh Johnson and second year quarterback Sam Hartman for the third spot. As things stand, it appears as though Johnson has the upper hand on Hartman, but obviously the joint practices and preseason games will be a big factor in that decision.

When asked about Hartman’s camp so far, offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury didn’t exactly give a huge endorsement, stating it’s been “up and down”. Hartman does have the advantage of having been in this system for a year now, but Johnson is a very experienced veteran that is going into his 19th season in the NFL. I doubt we’ll be seeing much of Daniels or Mariota in the actual preseason games, so Johnson and Hartman will get plenty of reps. It seems as though Johnson will get the first crack ahead of Hartman, but there’s plenty of time for that to change.

There’s no real surprise at running back either. Brian Robinson is still the top back on the depth chart while Austin Ekeler is behind him as the top third down back. Jeremy McNichols is third, which is where he was last year behind Robinson and Ekeler, while Chris Rodriguez is fourth, as he was last season. Rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt, who has generated plenty of buzz during training camp, is fifth on the depth chart, which might take some fans by surprise. Merritt has been bar far the back most talked about by media watching practice, but this team does tend to make rookies earn their spot, so it’s no surprise he starts behind the top four guys from last year for now.

Dan Quinn has made a point of emphasizing that running back is one of those positions that’s really hard to evaluate until you see them in games. Teams don’t do full tackling in practice to avoid injuries, so you never really know how well a back can break tackles and make people miss until they’re in a game when tackles are allowed. I wouldn’t at all be surprised to see Croskey-Merritt get reps with the first or second team throughout preseason to test what he can handle and if he’s capable of pushing Brian Robinson for playing time, or if he’ll need some time as the primary back up to develop behind the scenes.

The Commanders have three different wide receiver positions listed. Those are the X, Z and F positions. In this system, the X and Z positions are quite similar and it’s more like a left and right outside receiver role, which can become the X or the Z depending on what hashmark the ball is placed on. The F is the slot receiver role.

At the X spot, Terry McLaurin is the top receiver, as expected. Veteran Michael Gallup is behind him as the second option and Chris Moore is the third. That’s one note of interest because I’ve hardly seen any reporter mention Gallup, but Moore’s name has popped up a lot throughout camp so far, and he was someone Dan Quinn singled out for praise early in camp. I would have guessed Moore above Gallup based on that.

At the Z spot, Noah Brown is the top guy. I’m a little surprised Deebo Samuel isn’t listed as the top Z, but rather finds his name among the other slot receiver options. Obviously, Samuel will play in the slot plenty and move around all over the field, but in a base offense with just two receivers on the field, I’d be surprised if Samuel wasn’t the Z receiver. But that could just be semantics and I’m sure if the Commanders have three receivers on the field, right now their top three would be McLaurin, Samuel and Brown.

Behind Brown is K.J. Osborn, who the team signed during the season last year but he rarely saw the field. Osborn is a fairly similar player to Brown in terms of play style so that makes plenty of sense, but of course, when it comes to putting together a final roster, those outside receivers could end up playing either side, so Osborn is very much in competition with the likes of Gallup and Moore for a spot.

In the slot, Samuel is the top option with Luke McCaffrey listed as second and rookie Jaylin Lane third. Lately, it sounds like McCaffrey has been getting more work outside as the Commanders are trying out various guys out there in McLaurin’s absence. Meanwhile, Lane has been generating plenty of hype during camp so far and Kliff Kingsbury said he’s been very impressed with him. So I wouldn’t be surprised if Lane ends up as the second slot receiver option by the end of the preseason. If they do want Deebo Samuel to play on the outside at times, I could see them using Lane in the slot as one of their top packages instead of Noah Brown.

Tight end is also split into two categories. These are likely receiving tight ends and blocking tight ends. Zach Ertz is obviously the top receiving option while John Bates is the clear top blocking option. Ben Sinnott is listed as the primary back up to Ertz, which is encouraging. The Commanders didn’t get him many targets during his rookie year but coaches have praised him for his efforts this offseason. It will be interesting to see if he has sharpened up as a receiver and learned some nuances from sitting behind Ertz for a season.

Cole Turner rounds off the receiving tight end group while Colson Yankoff is the second blocking tight end behind Bates. I’m not sure that’s particularly accurate. In a real game situation, Sinnott would probably be the second best blocking option. But it will be interesting to see how the group works out at the bottom of the depth chart. The top three are locks and it’s entirely plausible the Commanders only keep three on their roster. But Dan Quinn spoke about the tight end group glowingly during camp, saying they have a bunch of good players that will probably all deserve to make a roster somewhere.

I suspect Yankoff will be their fourth guy, if they keep a fourth tight end. He was an undrafted free agent that this regime signed last year while Cole Turner was a Ron Rivera draft pick that hasn’t yet panned out. Turner has had some positive reports this offseason, but Yankoff did make some plays on special teams last year, which probably gives him the upper hand.

There aren’t too many surprises along the offensive line either. The starters are largely what we expected. Laremy Tunsil and Tyler Biadasz are locked in at left tackle

and center respectively. Sam Cosmi, when healthy, will be the starting right guard and Brandon Coleman appears to be the top left guard despite his transition inside from the tackle spot last year. The only debate right now among the starting group is at right tackle, where the team lists Andrew Wylie as the current starter and rookie first round pick Josh Conerly Jr. as the second option.

Like I said with Croskey-Merritt at running back, this team likes to make rookies earn their spots, not just hand them it. Jayden Daniels was in a battle with Marcus Mariota for the quarterback spot all offseason last year, despite everyone knowing Daniels would start come week one. I would say I don’t think it’s a lock that Conerly will start at right tackle week one, but I do think it’s pretty likely. Perhaps the team could consider doing a rotation, like they did last year at left tackle. It was an odd decision at the time but it worked out quite well. Brandon Coleman was a rookie and missed some time in camp due to injury, so he rotated for the first half of the season with Cornelius Lucas at left tackle. It’s not out of the question that the team could look to do that with Wylie and Conerly to start this season, though in an ideal world Conerly will win that job outright.

The questions along the line after that are the depth pieces. Nick Allegretti is listed as the primary right guard back up and has been playing there in camp while Sam Cosmi works his way back from injury. But if Conerly wins the right tackle job, Wylie could suddenly become competition for Allegretti. Coleman suffered an injury in practice at the end of last week, the severity of which is unknown at this point, and Wylie has been filling in at left guard, so we know the team is happy to move him inside.

Regardless, both Allegretti and Wylie will likely make the final roster, alongside the projected starting five, which gives the Commanders seven locks along the offensive line. The team could carry as many as 10, so there’s potentially three spots up for grabs. Michael Deiter is listed as the primary back up center, but I wouldn’t at all be surprised if Nick Allegretti takes over there once Cosmi is back. Foster Sarell was a free agent signing in the offseason and provides an intriguing tackle depth option. He’s currently listed as the primary back up left tackle, but we’ve heard reports in camp that Andrew Wylie has been running as the starting left tackle when Tunsil has been given veteran days off.

Tyre Phillips was signed just before camp and is a name that could well be worth keeping an eye on. He has experience playing both tackle and guard, which provides much needed flexibility from a back up option, and also spent a year with offensive line coach Bobby Johnson in New York previously. Chris Paul has reportedly had a decent offseason and could force his way into the equation, while undrafted rookie free agent signing Tim McKay was given a significant amount of money to sign with the team after the draft, so he could be worth keeping an eye on too.

Defense

Let’s start with the big guys up front. It’s no surprise to see free agent signings Javon Kinlaw and Deatrich Wise listed as starters along the defensive line alongside Daron Payne and Dorance Armstrong. The Commanders defensive line had an issue last year against the run, with too many pieces getting overpowered in the run game. With Kinlaw and Wise joining Payne up front, the Commanders now have a much bulkier defensive line unit, which they will hope helps them defend the run better than last year.

Second year defensive tackle Johnny Newton is relegated to a back up role behind Kinlaw, but I suspect he will still see plenty of playing time, especially if the Commanders use a three-man front (more on that later). Eddie Goldman is listed as the primary back up to Payne, but Sheldon Day played quite well last year and could push him for playing time. Goldman does offer something different to what they had last year though in that he’s another bigger body, but with a history of playing nose tackle.

At defensive end, Clelin Ferrell and Jalyn Holmes are the primary back up options listed. Ferrell struggled with injuries last year and didn’t show much on the field, so he’ll be looking to bounce back. Holmes did show up well against the run and will be hoping to prove he can take a step forward as a pass rusher. Second year end Javontae Jean-Baptiste flashed in his snaps last year with his length and stoutness on the edge. I would imagine he’s firmly in the mix for reps at the end spot as well, but right now finds himself as the third option behind Ferrell. I would expect all five of the ends I’ve listed to have a good chance of making the team.

Two edge rushers that are listed as outside linebackers are Von Miller and Jacob Martin. Those two have smaller bodies and won’t really be used as defensive ends in base defenses against the run. Their roles are much more about being situational pass rushers, where it doesn’t matter if they have their hand in the dirt or stand up. It’s very much the same role as Dante Fowler last year, and it could be important if the Commanders look to use some three-man fronts.

Unsurprisingly Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu are the top two linebackers. Jordan Magee is Wagner's primary back up while Nick Bellore is listed behind Luvu. Rookie Kain Medrano and second year Dominique Hampton are currently listed as third stringers, but we’ve heard reports of both playing on higher up groups than that. Bellore isn’t really a viable option at linebacker, he’s a special teams player. So both Hampton and Medrano have been getting plenty of reps with the second team defense in camp so far, with Medrano generating some buzz for his coverage ability. The test for both will be how well they fit the run and tackle in the preseason. Hampton wasn’t great fitting the run coming out of college, but he was a converted safety while Medrano had a tackling problem in college that needs to be corrected.

At cornerback, Trey Amos is the only rookie to be listed as a starter already. I’ve stated a few times that we know this staff likes to make the rookies earn their reps, so the fact they’re already listing Amos as a starter is a promising sign for him. He’s stood out plenty already during training camp practices with multiple interceptions and pass break ups. It’s important not to get too carried away until we see him in actual games, remember Emmanuel Forbes was praised a ton during his rookie training camp and struggled once real games started. But it’s certainly a promising start from Amos.

Alongside Amos as starters are Marshon Lattimore and Mike Sainristil, as expected. Sainristil moves back inside to the slot and Lattimore is hoping to prove that he’s back to his best now that he’s fully healthy. Behind them, Jonathan Jones and Noah Igbinoghene provide nice depth pieces that played a lot of snaps last year, which means they’re ready to fill in if needed without a huge drop off. I would expect those five to be the five the Commanders deep on their final 53, but don’t be surprised if undrafted free agent rookie Car’lin Vigers finds a way onto the roster if the team thinks they can’t get him to the practice squad.

Quan Martin is the starting free safety, as we all knew going into camp. Free agent signing Will Harris is the starting strong safety, which we expected too, but we know that Tyler Owens has also been getting some looks with the starting defense to see what he can and can’t do. Owens is currently listed as the third string strong safety, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s higher on that list by the end of camp.

Jeremy Reaves and Percy Butler are both listed as primary back ups, but both are core special teams contributors. Butler did see a fair amount of the field on defense last year and could have a role as a man coverage defender against athletic receiving tight ends, but it appears as though Owens might get the first shot at that role. It certainly feels likely that the team will keep five safeties on the roster, with Martin and Harris starting, Butler and Reaves working on special teams and Owens developing behind them.

But one name to keep an eye on is Rob McDaniel, who is currently listed as the fourth free safety. He’s someone the team met with at just about every stage of the pre-draft process. He was one of the first undrafted free agents the team signed too, so clearly they had a strong interest in him. He’ll do well to make the initial 53-man roster because it would be hard to keep a sixth safety, but with a solid preseason, he could force his way onto the practice squad and develop into a potential option down the line.

Now, you might have noticed this depth chart has listed 12 starters on defense. This is because they list Miller and Martin as outside linebackers in their base defense, but also list three cornerback groups because the team plays a ton of nickel. So I thought it’d be interesting to take a look at what the depth chart might actually look like in a few different packages they could use.

We’ll probably most likely see the Commanders in a 4-2 nickel package for most of their defensive snaps, which based on the current depth chart would look something like this. In a 4-2 nickel package, one of the linebackers is replaced with a slot cornerback, leaving just two linebackers and the four defensive lineman. While we see the front four as Armstrong, Payne, Kinlaw and Wise, there’s a ton of flexibility here. This would be how they align on first and 10 against an obvious run situation, but in more of a pass rushing situation, they have a bunch of players that can flex inside from the end spot. Armstrong, Wise, Ferrell and Jean-Baptiste all have some experience kicking inside while Jalyn Holmes has the body type for it too. Luvu could then shift to the edge from his Will linebacker spot, leaving Wagner as the lone linebacker in a 5-1 front.

Alternatively, the Commanders could try and beef up the edges. We saw Daron Payne slide outside to end against the run at times last year. Kinlaw and Newton are certainly capable of doing that too, if they want to get a real heavy end in there and make use of their depth at defensive tackle. But if they are going to play a third defensive tackle, they might opt to use a a front that resembles a 3-4 base defense.

With this front, the defense looks like a 3-4 base defense. Technically in this system, it would be a 4-3 under front, with the defensive line shifted inside and the Sam linebacker walked up on the line of scrimmage as an edge defender. The Commanders couldn’t get into this base package much last year because Jordan Magee was hurt and they lacked another linebacker they could trust while Luvu shifted to the edge. But with more depth and flexibility across the line now, they could make it work. I’ve got Von Miller and Jacob Martin in the Sam spot on the edge, but if the Commanders were to use this front, it would be a base defense against the run, rather than a true pass rushing situation, so Miller and Martin probably wouldn’t be on the field. It would likely be Luvu in that spot with Magee replacing him at the Will linebacker position.

But the point of showing this front is to show the flexibility of the defensive lineman on the roster. The Commanders have so many defensive lineman capable of playing both inside and outside that they can depth for whatever fronts/alignments they want to use. Payne could easily be a 3-4 nose tackle, but he could also play one of the other interior spots. Newton played some nose tackle in these looks last year to get his quickness matched up on slow centers, but they went away from that later in the year. Eddie Goldman is more of a traditional nose tackle so he could come in to free up Payne for one of the other spots. I’ve got Wise and Ferrell listed inside here, but Armstrong and Jean-Baptiste could play that inside role too.

There’s a ton of flexibility with this defensive line group and while it lacks a star like a Micah Parsons or Myles Garrett, it does provide the Commanders with a lot of options. So expect them to mix and match pieces and fronts throughout the preseason and start of the regular season while they figure out exactly what works best for them.

Special Teams

The three special teams positions aren’t in any sort of competition. Tress Way is the punter and Tyler Ott is the long snapper, both retained from last year. Matt Gay was quickly snapped up when he was released earlier this offseason and was given a pretty sizable contract, so he is their kicker. But the thing of note with the special teams chart is the returners.

Austin Ekeler is the primary kickoff returner, which is a role he performed well last season. Luke McCaffrey is listed as the second option there, but in camp we’ve heard about Deebo Samuel getting some reps in the return game too. Running backs Demetric Felton and Kazmier Allen round out the group, but I’m sure there’s plenty of other guys getting reps there.

The punt return group is slightly different. McCaffrey got some looks on punt return last year but isn’t listed on the chart this year. Instead, K.J. Osborn is listed as the top option with rookie Jaylin Lane behind him. I would expect Lane to take over that top spot pretty quickly. He’s much more dynamic and explosive than Osborn, while Osborn isn’t guaranteed to even make the team at wide receiver. Felton and Allen again round out the group but neither are likely to make the final 53, so if Osborn is also cut, the Commanders will need another player getting some reps on punt return duties just in case Lane gets hurt. But expect Lane to be the primary punt returner this season.