Every Washington Commanders fan is extremely excited about this fresh-looking roster this upcoming season. General manager Adam Peters made some breathtaking moves this offseason to kick-start this rebuild. Optimism rose exponentially as a result.
With that being said, there are still several positions on this roster that could be liabilities throughout the campaign. This group is better, but there are substantially more holes than a team hopes to have.
Fans should pump the brakes on this team until further notice. It’s awesome to be optimistic, but it’s also good to sit down and evaluate where the Commanders may be lacking in 2024.
With this in mind, here are three Commanders position groups that could become weak links in 2024.
Commanders cornerbacks
The Washington Commanders allowed 4,627 passing yards and 39 passing touchdowns in 2023, which were both dead-last in the league. It can’t get worse than that, right?
There is some hope for improvement in 2024 for the cornerback room. But the Commanders still have one of the worst cornerback groups in the league as it stands.
Mike Sainristil, who was drafted in the second round of the draft out of Michigan, has an extremely high floor. He will spend most of his time in the nickel role but is versatile enough to line up on the outside in certain packages. The rookie is a smart and physical defensive back who will raise the level of play in the room.
Unfortunately, that’s the only positive for the cornerbacks. The defense will rely on Emmanuel Forbes Jr. and Benjamin St-Juste. Michael Davis was also signed in free agency, but he was a liability for the Los Angeles Chargers last season and is past his prime.
Here’s the good news. Dan Quinn and Joe Whitt Jr. came over from the Dallas Cowboys. Their schemes got the absolute most out of their defensive backs, even their average to below-average ones. I have some faith that they can do the same thing here in Washington.
At the very least, this cornerback room is in good hands when it comes to being coached up to improve their game. Who knows what Jack Del Rio was teaching these guys? It wasn’t anything good, that’s for sure.
Will there be an improvement for the Commanders’ cornerback room in 2024? Yes. However, that might not stop the unit from becoming a weak link, especially on the outside.
Commanders offensive line
Are there improvements made to the offensive line from last year? Absolutely. Are they good enough to make any team comfortable with them protecting their quarterback? No.
Before we talk about the bad, let’s talk about the good. Sam Cosmi is arguably a top-five offensive guard league-wide. He is a true centerpiece building block for the Washington Commanders. He was a steal in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
Tyler Biadasz was brought over from the Dallas Cowboys to become the new starting center. He is an upgrade over the previous starter Nick Gates. He isn’t anything crazy, but he is a solid player who should perform well for Washington throughout his contract.
I’m not going to put Brandon Coleman in the good section, but I won’t put him in the bad either. He was drafted in the third round to play left tackle, but he might not stay there.
If he starts the season on the blindside, Coleman will go through inevitable growing pains. There’s a possibility he starts the campaign on the bench and slowly works into the starting lineup.
Unfortunately, the rest of the offensive line leaves a lot to be desired. Cornelius Lucas may start the season at left tackle, but his production left Commanders fans extremely unsatisfied over the last few years.
Andrew Wylie is probably one of the worst starting offensive tackles in the league. The veteran allowed nine sacks in 2023, which was tied for fourth most among all edge protectors. Nick Allegretti joined from the Kansas City Chiefs and will almost definitely start at the left guard spot. He is more or less the same level of talent Washington has been trotting out as of late, so not much excitement there.
The Commanders' offensive line improved from last year. However, it’s not by a lot. It will still be a liability in 2024.
Commanders edge rushers
The pass-rushing duo of Montez Sweat and Chase Young were traded before the 2023 deadline. That left Casey Toohill and James Smith-Williams, who were both great backups but not subpar starters, to fill the void. They are no longer around.
There was some effort by the front office to get the edge rushing position to a solid state, but it didn’t lead to a lot of great signings. Dorance Armstrong Jr. joined from the Dallas Cowboys. He is the current best option on the team.
Armstrong is a solid player and has the potential to level up. But he has just been a great guy to rotate in with Dexter Lawrence and Micah Parsons or be an edge rusher in specific packages during his career so far. He excelled in this role, putting up nine sacks in both 2022 and 2023. This will help, but how much remains to be seen.
Dante Fowler Jr. and Clelin Ferrell were both signed in the offseason. They should be key pieces for the Washington Commanders. Both are outstanding depth pieces, but I’m not confident having either of them as full-time starters. Maybe a big rotation will end up working out for Dan Quinn’s defensive scheme.
K.J. Henry is a player who could get more reps on the edge in his sophomore NFL season. The former fifth-round pick showed a lot of promise in the second half of the season when the defense was trying to find help. I’m excited to see what development arrives working with more accomplished coaches.
Javonte Jean-Bapiste was drafted in the seventh round of the draft out of Notre Dame. However, he will be nothing more than a depth piece who could potentially assist on special teams.
Maybe this group can become solid and generate pressure this season. But it's hard to argue that this will be one of the Commanders’ weak links in 2024.
