After two preseason games, Washington’s rookie class has given the Commanders a much clearer picture of what they’ve got. One undrafted free agent has already taken a starting job.
A couple of Day 3 picks have forced their way into bigger conversations. And the team’s first-round pick is not sitting at the top of this list.
At the moment, Drew Stevens is the rookie setting the pace. He’s first here for one simple reason: he’s the only rookie who has already won a starting job.
Stevens entered camp in a battle with Jake Moody, slowly separated himself, and then saw the competition end early after Moody’s consistency issues late in camp. Washington shut it down after the preseason opener against Miami.
Stevens then backed that up Saturday against the Lions by hitting both field goals, from 27 and 32 yards, and adding the extra point after the team’s only touchdown.
Joshua Josephs has been climbing just about every time the Commanders have put the pads on. His summer has been a steady rise, from the practice work against Miami to the preseason games and the work in between.
Dan Quinn has taken notice. "I feel his length as a pass rusher.
How does that come to life? Long arm.
Gain separation on offensive tackle," Quinn said. "He’s got a nice natural bend to him."
Josephs also found the end zone Saturday, recovering Amik Robertson’s strip-sack of Josh Dobbs in the end zone for his first NFL touchdown. The conversation around him has shifted from whether he’ll make the roster to how much Washington can actually use him.
Kaytron Allen has also made real ground. The rookie running back came into camp with upside and opportunity, but he still had to show his college production could translate.
He did that in the preseason opener against Miami, carrying 23 times for 85 yards and a touchdown without losing a yard on any of those runs. The Commanders came back to him again in the second game with 10 carries, which says plenty about how comfortable they are with his workload.
Allen has gone from trying to stick on the back end of the room to looking like a real part of the running back rotation.
No rookie has improved his stock more since the first preseason game than Athan Kaliakmanis. Marcus Mariota’s injury changed the stakes in the QB3 battle, and Kaliakmanis stepped into the developmental role Sam Hartman has held for the last couple of years without making much progress.
Against Detroit, Kaliakmanis completed 11 of 14 passes for 162 yards, produced the game’s three longest plays, avoided turnovers, and finished with a 114.9 passer rating. Dan Quinn is still calling it a competition, but Kaliakmanis has created enough separation that Hartman now has to answer against Baltimore.
Sonny Styles comes in fifth, but that’s more a reflection of what the others have done than a knock on him. Washington has been testing him in a lot of different ways, and the staff has spent the summer pushing him through a demanding role that includes communication, checks, and getting the front set in Daronte Jones’ defense.
Styles said he wasn’t happy with his preseason debut, and he sounds like the kind of player who is hardest on himself. Baltimore will give him another chance to match the growth coaches are seeing with a performance that jumps off the field.
Antonio Williams is the latest rookie to rise into the picture. His roster spot has never really seemed in danger, but his exact role is still open.
Even so, his play has kept him in the receiver mix all summer. Washington’s veteran-heavy receiver room makes that a different kind of challenge, and Williams knows making the roster is only the beginning of carving out a role in David Blough’s offense.
With Baltimore up next, plus a joint practice and the preseason finale still to come, the rookie rankings can still move. But through two preseason games, Stevens has set the standard, Josephs, Allen, and Kaliakmanis have done the most to push upward, and Styles has been used everywhere the staff can think of.
In Other News...
Commanders Suddenly Have Trade Candidates As Final Cuts Close In
Adam Peters is coming up on one of the busiest stretches of the preseason, with the Commanders needing to trim their roster from 90 players to 53 by the deadline. As Washington sorts through a few crowded position groups, the front office has some tougher calls than usual, and a handful of players who may not fit the final picture are suddenly part of the conversation.
Treylon Burks and Jordan Magee are among the names worth watching as the Commanders weigh whether to keep depth, deal from it or simply move on. In a league where every roster spot matters, Washington appears open to finding value wherever it can before the final cuts hit, which makes these next few days more than just a formality. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Safety Decision Already Looks Worse Than Fans Feared
A preseason miscue was enough to push Will Harris to the edge, and the Commanders ended up cutting ties with the veteran safety after a performance that had already been raising concerns behind the scenes. Washington still has other options in the secondary it believes are better fits, so the move also gives the front office some salary-cap relief while it reshapes the back end of the defense.
Harris had one year left on his contract, which is what makes the decision feel like more than a routine roster churn move. The bigger question now is whether his time in Washington is simply over or whether he can land somewhere else and prove the Commanders moved on faster than they needed to, especially with the starting job conversation already looking shaky before the release. [Read more 🡒]
Jayden Daniels Is Taking Washingtons Offense Into A Dangerous New Phase
The Commanders have spent this preseason pushing their offense into a more demanding and less predictable shape, with Jayden Daniels taking on more control at the line and more responsibility for steering the operation before the snap. The idea is to get beyond a tightly scripted approach and let the quarterback use his football IQ and passing ability to create answers in real time, while the rest of the skill group stays sharp enough to keep pace with what the defense is showing.
It is the kind of shift that can make an offense harder to defend, but only if everyone around Daniels is ready for the same level of detail. Washington is still working through issues up front, and the addition of Stefon Diggs gives the unit another piece to deploy as it tries to become more versatile and more dangerous. For now, the bigger question is how quickly all those moving parts can mesh once the games start to matter. [Read more 🡒]