After losing to the Jets in their first preseason game, the Commanders fly south to Miami to face the Dolphins on Saturday night. Here are two players from Washington to keep an eye on.
WR Martavis Bryant
Bryant was a fourth-round pick of the Steelers in the 2014 NFL Draft and had 1,314 yards with the team before being suspended for the entire 2016 season for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. He returned to Pittsburgh the following year and played 10 games for the Raiders before the NFL suspended him indefinitely in 2018.
He bounced around professional football for the next few years, spending time in the Canadian Football League, the Indoor Football League, the Fan Controlled Football League and the XFL. After being reinstated by the NFL in 2023, Bryant joined the Cowboys practice squad where he caught the eye of the team’s former defensive coordinator and new Commanders coach Dan Quinn.
"Martavis has a really cool skill set." Quinn told Zachary Pereles of CBS Sports. “He's got size and length and the ability to use him in the red zone, so when you see him today, he'll stand out. He looks like a linebacker playing wideout from a size standpoint."
Actually, Bryant is down 22 pounds since his time with Dallas, but he’s still 6-foot-4 making him and undrafted free agent Brycen Tremayne (also 6-foot-4) Washington’s only receivers over 6-foot-2.
At 32 years old, Bryant is a longshot to make the roster, but he has a fan in the team’s No. 1 receiver, Terry McLaurin.
“He has the size and long arms, but I kinda do my homework on a lot of receivers in the league, and I just know he can run too," McLaurin said. "So you have a big, fast wideout like that who can make plays above the rim, who can win in the vertical pass game, win in contested catch situations, that's a big plus for you as a team and as a receiver.
Saturday night will be Bryant’s first opportunity to play in front of an NFL crowd since he had three catches for the Raiders in Week 5 of the 2018 season.
CB Emmanuel Forbes
After being selected 16th overall by Washington in the 2023 draft, Forbes finished the season as the NFL’s 112th-rated cornerback according to Pro Football Focus. He had one interception in six starts as a rookie and surely looked forward to a fresh start with a new coaching staff.
Forbes had two tackles and a pass defended against the Jets, but the young cornerback gave up several big plays and struggled badly against Jets receivers during joint practice sessions, especially Garrett Wilson.
Things won’t get any easier against the Dolphins as head coach Mike McDaniel vowed to play starters in the game. Lining up against receivers like Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill is never easy, but Hill could have something extra after being voted the NFL’s best player by his peers.
A strong performance against the Dolphins would do wonders for Forbes’ confidence, but a poor performance could keep him on the sidelines when the team opens their regular season against the Buccaneers on Sept. 8.
