The Washington Commanders have already tweaked the roster on the eve of their season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles, and the move says plenty about where the team sees its immediate depth.
On Saturday, Washington announced it is elevating C/G Julian Good-Jones from the practice squad for Sunday’s 2026 opener. The move comes after the Commanders released offensive tackle D.J. Humphries on Friday.
Roster shuffling like this is common around game day across the NFL, especially when injuries force teams to pull someone up from the practice squad to fill an inactive spot. This one, though, stands out a little because Washington is bringing up an interior lineman rather than a tackle.
Good-Jones, or JGJ, was one of the more heavily discussed backups during training camp and the preseason in the DMV. With starting center Nick Allegretti dealing with issues for much of camp, Good-Jones became a regular topic on radio and podcasts, though the attention was often critical and, at times, harsher than it needed to be.
Rookie C/G Matt Gulbin also moved ahead of him during camp and the preseason, eventually taking over the second spot in the center battle. Gulbin made the 53-man roster last week, while Good-Jones was waived before returning to the practice squad.
One other detail matters here: Washington has only one offensive tackle on its practice squad, Esa Pole. Pole is 25 and has previously been with the Jets and Chiefs. Even with Humphries gone, the Commanders chose to elevate Good-Jones instead of Pole.
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