The Commanders wasted no time settling the kicking battle, and that quick decision could be the first sign of a tougher round of roster moves ahead.
After head coach Dan Quinn said the competition would run through the preseason, Washington needed just one preseason game to pick a winner. Undrafted rookie Drew Stevens came out on top, and veteran Jake Moody was pushed out almost immediately. That kind of blunt decision-making fits the way general manager Adam Peters has approached this roster, and it also hints at what the next few weeks could look like in Washington.
Peters has never seemed interested in dragging out a choice once the answer is clear. He was part of the San Francisco 49ers’ brain trust that used a third-round pick on Moody, and he gave him another chance with the Commanders. Once the problems showed up, though, Peters moved on without hesitation.
That same edge is likely to show up again as Washington gets closer to final cuts. The team must trim from 90 players to 53 in a matter of weeks, and while some players will land on the practice squad, others are staring at the end of the line. In a stretch like this, the only thing that matters is building a roster that can hold up when the pressure rises.
One name that appears to be slipping is Julian Good-Jones.
When Nick Allegretti went down with a calf strain on the first day of training camp, Washington didn’t turn immediately to sixth-round rookie Matt Gulbin. Instead, the Commanders leaned on Good-Jones and gave the first-year lineman time to settle in.
That opportunity didn’t produce much. Good-Jones struggled to show real command as a communicator and protector, and the operation looked off when he was on the field. His preseason opener didn’t do him any favors either.
Gulbin, by contrast, looked more polished. He reached the second level quickly and held up better in pass protection. Nothing has been finalized, but that shift should be enough to put the Michigan State product in line for the second-string role once Allegretti returns.
For Good-Jones, the path is getting narrow. He hasn’t done enough to make a strong case for sticking around, and Washington may end up moving on when roster cuts arrive. It may even happen before then.
In Other News...
Former Commanders Starter Hits Cruel Setback After Fresh Start
Tyler Biadasz had barely gotten settled into his fresh start with the Chargers after leaving Washington, where he was released before landing a multi-year deal in Los Angeles. The veteran center was part of the kind of offseason move that can reset a line in a hurry, giving the Chargers a proven starter and giving Biadasz a chance to reestablish himself in a new place.
Then came a brutal turn during a joint practice with the 49ers, where Biadasz went down with a left knee injury. Jim Harbaugh has said the center is getting a second opinion, and the situation now hangs over a position group that was counting on him to stabilize the middle. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Just Reached A Level Fans Could Only Imagine
The Commanders rise off the field has started to look every bit as dramatic as anything happening on it. Washington is now valued at $9.64 billion, a figure that puts the franchise 11th in the NFL and reflects a 30% jump from last year, a leap that would have sounded hard to believe not long ago for a team trying to rebuild its identity on multiple fronts.
There is still plenty of room to climb, with the Cowboys sitting at the top of the league and the Bengals at the bottom of the current valuation list. But the bigger story for Washington is what comes next, because sustained success and the planned new stadium in D.C. in 2030 could push the franchise into an even different financial tier. [Read more 🡒]
Rachaad White Suddenly Faces A Commanders Question He Did Not Need
Rachaad Whites first summer with the Commanders has already brought an awkward bit of uncertainty. The veteran running back signed with Washington in 2026 after four seasons with Tampa Bay, and he arrived with a chance to carve out a useful role in a crowded backfield, even if that role was always likely to be a smaller one in the teams rotation.
Instead, White has now missed back-to-back practice sessions with an undisclosed injury, and the timing has only fueled chatter around a recent team ice bucket challenge video. There has been no official confirmation tying the absence to anything specific, but for a player trying to settle in and make an early impression, any unexplained missed time is the kind of thing that can quickly turn a routine camp update into a situation worth watching. [Read more 🡒]