ASHBURN, Va. — The Washington Commanders’ roster picture looked a whole lot cleaner about 48 hours ago.
Then Laremy Tunsil went down, and so did everyone's uplifted mood following the Stefon Diggs signing the day prior.
The potential season-long loss of Washington’s premier left tackle doesn’t merely create an enormous hole in the starting lineup. It changes the roster math. Brandon Coleman will get the first crack at replacing Tunsil, removing a valuable piece from the backup pool and increasing the urgency for establishing offensive-line depth.
That’s the biggest variable in this latest 53-man projection, but hardly the only one. Diggs’ arrival further crowds an already competitive receiver room. Washington suddenly has legitimate decisions along the defensive line and in the secondary. Keeping a third quarterback under Adam Peters and Dan Quinn is the standard. This year, that standard may change.
The first joint practice and preseason game won’t settle everything. It should start providing some answers. For now, here’s my latest 53.
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Quarterbacks (2)
Jayden Daniels, Marcus Mariota
Others: Athan Kaliakmanis, Sam Hartman
With QB1 and QB2, rinse, wash, repeat. Then repeat again. And again. The Daniels-Mariota tandem enters its third season. Keeping Daniels healthy and active is what matters most—that and the offense at least sniffing the epic production of 2024.
If called upon, Mariota gives Washington no less than a puncher’s chance to win. Whether he and Daniels go for the quad-peat will be an interesting background storyline.
Sidebar: As for third string, we may be staring at a first. Washington has kept three QBs under Quinn, but Jeff Driskel and Josh Johnson were veterans. That roster spot is valuable because of the battles elsewhere. That’s why Kaliakmanis could become the first draft selection under the Peters-led front office not to make the Week 1 roster.
Based on the current options, the seventh-round pick from Rutgers would beat out Hartman for the third-string job. He has the stronger arm. The thing is, that job may not exist. The darkest timeline is having to even consider playing a third-string QB. If that scenario unfolds, Washington is more likely to sign a street free agent than go with Kaliakmanis or Hartman,
Either way, it’s hard to imagine any team claiming off waivers a rookie QB it passed on several times in the draft a few months prior.
Who else makes the cut? Projecting Washington’s 53-man roster after a turbulent weekend changed the equation.