The Washington Commanders spent Tuesday getting ready for London, and before the team even finished boarding its flight, the injury report already had changed the picture for Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts.
Washington ruled out RG Sam Cosmi and S Nick Cross for the trip, meaning neither will travel with the team and both are out for Week 4. Cosmi is dealing with a concussion/throat issue, while Cross is out with an illness. That leaves the Commanders headed overseas with another patched-together offensive line and a secondary that will need more shuffling.
The roster moves kept coming, too. The team signed OLB Charles Snowden to the practice squad, placed OLB Marvin Jones Jr. on the practice squad injured list, moved LB Leo Chenal to the Reserve/Injured List, and made the Austin Ekeler signing official.
There was also a bit of social media fun mixed into the day. When the NFL asked, "Who should be the @pepsi Rookie of the Week for Week 3?"
the Commanders’ account answered with Sonny Styles, even though he was not among the nominees. The post pointed to his stat line: "Sonny Styles: 5 total tackles, 2 passes defensed, 1 forced fumble, 1 interception."
Styles wasn’t the only defender drawing attention. The league is beginning to notice how hard Amik Robertson has been playing snap after snap, and he has clearly taken to defensive coordinator Daronte Jones’ message to "keep chopping."
That defensive surge mattered in a big way against Seattle. Washington’s 33-31 win ended the Seahawks’ 12-game winning streak, a run that stretched back into last season, and it gave the Commanders a much-needed lift after a rough opening stretch.
That rough stretch had started with back-to-back road losses to division opponents, along with a pile of injuries, including another dislocated elbow for starting quarterback Jayden Daniels. Against Seattle, though, the defense finally showed the spark Jones had been asking for since the offseason.
Before that game, Jones had made his expectations clear: "The most glaring thing that [we] would love to see is just takeaways...guys are constantly attacking the ball, and that's where I think we need to grow and continue to progress that way so we can get the ball off these guys and get our offense some extra possessions."
Washington got exactly that kind of moment, and the blitz-heavy approach gave Jones the freedom to keep pressuring Sam Darnold and his receivers at key points while helping cover for a secondary that is still working through issues. That setup fit the matchup, and it helped the Commanders force enough disruption to stay in control when it mattered.
On the player front, two current Commanders will be making their first trip back to London since 2018, when they were on opposite sidelines in a one-point thriller. Washington wasn’t in that game, but it was still part of the day’s conversation as the team prepared for another overseas trip.
Tuesday also brought a fresh look at the team’s stock report, with several players trending up after the win and at least one starter seeing his field time dip. The Commanders entered the week with a lot to sort through, and after a chaotic start to the season, the London trip now arrives with both momentum and more lineup questions.
In Other News...
Commanders First Win Already Comes With Two Major Roster Questions
The Commanders got the kind of early-season result that can steady a locker room, knocking off the Seahawks and ending Seattles 12-game winning streak. It was also the first chance to see how this roster might hold together after the opener, and Washington wasted no time making a move by signing running back Austin Ekeler to the 53-man roster.
Leo Chenals situation adds a much heavier layer to the celebration. The linebacker suffered a neck injury during the game, had successful surgery and is expected to miss the rest of the season, leaving Washington with an immediate hole to address on defense even as it tries to build on a win that should have felt like a clean starting point. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Taking A Real Risk With Jayden Daniels Now
Washington is choosing the short-term path with Jayden Daniels, and that alone tells you how much the Commanders still believe this season is alive. General manager Adam Peters said Daniels will not be placed on injured reserve after dislocating his left elbow again, with the team expecting him back in about three weeks. It is a notable call for a club that has already leaned on its rookie quarterback heavily, and it comes after Washington consulted multiple doctors before settling on a plan that keeps the door open for a quick return.
The decision also underscores just how much risk the Commanders are willing to absorb for the chance to keep Daniels on the field. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that surgery is likely after the season, but Daniels is putting that off so he can continue playing, a choice that has drawn some concern from NFL executives around the league. For Washington, the calculation is obvious: preserve the present, even if the future carries a heavier cost. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Suddenly Have A Mike Sainristil Problem In The Secondary
Mike Sainristils role in the Commanders secondary took an unusual hit in Week 3, when he was on the field for just 38.8 percent of Washingtons defensive snaps, the lowest workload of his pro career. The staff leaned more heavily on other corners, including Amik Robertson, Rasul Douglas and Fabian Moreau, which was a notable shift for a defender who has been part of the conversation in the back end since arriving in Washington.
The timing makes the situation more complicated, because Trey Amos is expected to come back from injured reserve and could add another body to an already crowded cornerback picture. Washingtons coaches have also been open about their concerns with Sainristils performance and consistency, so his place in the rotation now feels far less secure than it did earlier in the season. [Read more 🡒]