The Washington Commanders spent the 2025 NFL Draft adding five players, and four of them carved out clear jobs in their first season. Right tackle Josh Conerly Jr., cornerback Trey Amos and running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt all logged starts on offense or defense, while wide receiver Jaylin Lane contributed as a punt returner.
That left sixth-round linebacker Kain Medrano as the odd man out. He didn’t play a snap beyond special teams as a rookie, which made his first year feel more like a waiting period than a debut.
Now the UCLA product is suddenly drawing real offseason buzz. In Washington, he’s become the kind of player people keep circling as a sleeper, the unproven name who starts popping up in every conversation about surprise contributors.
The appeal is obvious. Medrano brings speed and athleticism that give him real defensive upside, and that matters even more with the Commanders leaning into youth on that side of the ball. But the path to playing time is far from clean.
He’ll have to fight through a crowded linebacker group that includes No. 7 overall pick Sonny Styles, free-agent addition Leo Chenal, and returning veterans Frankie Luvu and Jordan Magee. And that’s before factoring in how defensive coordinator Daronte Jones’ new 3-4 setup changes the picture.
In Jones’ scheme, Washington’s edge rushers will effectively function as linebackers, which adds Dorance Armstrong Jr., Odafe Oweh, K’Lavon Chaisson, Charles Omenihu and others into the mix for roster spots. That makes every inch of the depth chart harder to claim.
Special teams could be Medrano’s opening. Nick Bellore’s presence as a coverage ace matters here, and Medrano’s clearest route to the final 53 may be as Bellore’s replacement. If that happens, it would at least get his foot in the door.
From there, the opportunity could grow. With four linebackers on the field every snap, there should be chances for Medrano to settle in as a trusted backup. The preseason will matter a lot for him, and if he stands out, Washington may not be able to put him back on the shelf.
He entered the league as a raw project with rare athletic traits. A year later, the long-term bet is finally ready to be tested, and the early signs this offseason suggest Medrano has handled his part of the job.
He may still be viewed as an afterthought by plenty of people, but the Commanders could have a breakout candidate on their hands.
In Other News...
Commanders May Be Down To One Familiar WR2 Gamble
The Commanders are still sorting through ways to give Terry McLaurin a reliable running mate, and the search has started to narrow toward a familiar face. With the receiver market not exactly overflowing with clean fits, Washington is at least exploring the idea of leaning on a player it already knows, one who could make sense in a broader offseason plan rather than as a quick fix.
The timing matters here, because the discussion is centered on a possible 2026 move and not an immediate answer. Nothing is official yet, and that leaves the Commanders in the same place plenty of teams find themselves this time of year: weighing familiarity, fit and availability while hoping the right option does not disappear before the roster gets a chance to take shape. [Read more 🡒]
Jayden Daniels Just Entered A Different Tier For The Commanders
Jayden Daniels has already given Washington a rare kind of hope at quarterback, and now his profile is stretching well beyond the field. The 2023 Heisman Trophy winner and 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year has joined Gatorades athletics team, a notable endorsement move that puts him in a different category of NFL face for the brand and underscores how quickly his rise has accelerated since arriving in the league.
For the Commanders, the bigger picture is still about what Daniels means when he is healthy and on the field. He dealt with injuries in 2025, but the expectation is that he returns healthy for 2026, which is the part Washington cares about most as it tries to build on what he has already shown. The commercial spotlight is nice, but the franchises next step still hinges on whether Daniels can keep turning promise into production. [Read more 🡒]