Treylon Burks went from inactive to suddenly relevant in a hurry.
A week after the Commanders kept him on the sideline against the Philadelphia Eagles, Burks could be part of the offensive conversation again with TE Chig Okonkwo out this week. Last week, Washington dressed four tight ends and five wide receivers, leaving Burks among the five players on the 53-man active roster who did not suit up. That decision stood out because Burks had been listed among the starters on the Week 1 depth chart.
After the Eagles game, head coach Dan Quinn made it clear the personnel mix could shift depending on the week and the matchup. "It's hard as the competitors.
In this game we had five receivers and four tight ends, and other games that may switch around ... Depending on the opponent, there could be some changes as that goes," Quinn said.
"But in this instance, this is a position that we're very deep in, and it was just by the game plan."
That explanation looks different now that the roster math has changed.
Washington still has John Bates, Ben Sinnott, and Colson Yankoff in the tight end room, but Burks gives the offense another body to work with. He is not a tight end, but at 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds, he brings size, works well over the middle, and offers a larger catch radius than most of the team’s receivers.
Quinn pointed to those traits during camp: "But at the Z position, we really feel his impact, you know? Deep routes, in-breaking routes, he's got a long catch radius, and so that's the thing that you feel on a regular basis."
Ben Sinnott is another player the Commanders want to see take on a bigger role with Okonkwo sidelined. Burks and Okonkwo also share some history, having entered the league in the same 2022 Titans draft class and spent their first three seasons together in Tennessee.
Week 2 against the Dallas Cowboys is exactly the kind of situation Quinn was talking about when he said the personnel numbers could change from week to week. One injury may be enough to turn last week’s inactive into this week’s offensive answer.
In Other News...
Commanders Suddenly Have A Mike Sainristil Question They Cant Ignore
Mike Sainristil is already facing an early test of how the Commanders handle accountability under Dan Quinn. After Washingtons season-opening loss, Quinn publicly called out the young cornerbacks performance, and Sainristil responded by owning the mistakes and saying his focus is on getting better. For a defense that wants to establish a sharper edge, the issue is not just one rough outing, but how quickly the rookie can steady himself as the spotlight gets brighter.
Isaac Yiadoms arrival from the practice squad adds another layer to the conversation, because Washington now has more veteran depth in the secondary heading into its game against the Dallas Cowboys. The move does not settle the cornerback picture, but it does put a little more pressure on Sainristil to respond the right way. How Quinn and his staff sort out those snaps will be worth watching, especially this early in the season when every adjustment carries a little extra weight. [Read more 🡒]
Dorance Armstrong Gives Commanders A Personal Edge Against Dallas
Dorance Armstrong Jr. is back in the Commanders lineup after serving a one-week suspension, and his return comes with a built-in layer of familiarity. After six seasons with the Cowboys, Armstrong now finds himself on the other side of one of the NFC Easts most familiar rivalries, joining Washington as it prepares for an upcoming meeting with Dallas. He is working his way back from an ACL injury and sliding into a reserve hybrid linebacker role in the Commanders' 3-4 defense.
Even with a limited workload possible as he adjusts to the scheme and the roster around him, Armstrong still carries obvious value in a game like this. Washington did not bring him in just for depth, and his presence against his former team adds a little more edge to a matchup that already has plenty of it. The Commanders will be watching how much he can handle, but they also know the timing of his return is hard to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders May Need These Lineup Tweaks To Handle Dallas Better
The Commanders came out of their regular-season opener with enough encouraging moments to believe the roster can settle in quickly, but the 24-22 loss also exposed a few lineup spots that could use a closer look before the next meeting with Dallas. Washington has already spent time sorting through what worked, what didnt, and where injuries may force the coaching staff to look for more snaps from players who were on the fringe in Week 1.
Rasul Douglas, Antonio Williams, Ben Sinnott and Quan Martin all surfaced as possible beneficiaries if Washington decides to tweak roles heading into the Cowboys game. Those are the kinds of adjustments that can make a difference in a divisional matchup, especially when the margin for error is thin, but for now they remain ideas rather than confirmed changes as the Commanders weigh performance and availability against a Dallas opponent that will demand cleaner execution. [Read more 🡒]