The Washington Commanders had a strong run in head coach Dan Quinn's first season. Now, it's time to find ways to build and improve upon a roster that went 12-5 in the regular season and advanced to the NFC Championship for the first time in over 30 years.
Over the next few weeks, Quinn and general manager Adam Peters will review their personnel to determine what moves should be made to bolster each position. Though we don't have any say in how the new front office will mold the team going forward, Commanders.com will look back at how each group performed last season, breaking down top performers and looking ahead at where they could go next.
After starting with the receiver, we'll move on to the cornerbacks.
On the roster
Mike Sainristil: 93 tackles, 14 PBUs, 2 INTs, FF, FR
Benjamin St-Juste: 71 tackles, 7 PBUs, FF, FR
Noah Igbinoghene: 55 tackles, 7 PBUs
Michael Davis: 14 tackles, PBU
Marshon Lattimore: 4 tackles, 3 PBUs
Top performers (per Pro Football Focus)
OVR: Mike Sainristil (65.8)
COV: Mike Sainristil (64.5)
Stats to know
-- Washington's secondary finished the regular season ranked third with 189.5 passing yards allowed -- their lowest average since 2004.
-- Sainristil was the most utilized rookie cornerback in the NFL last season with 1,158 defensive snaps. According to PFF, He finished 10th among his fellow rookie corners in coverage (64.5) and run defense (66.4).
Questions to answer
-- What's next for Sainristil? The 2024 second-round pick was one of the mainstays on Washington's defense, ranking fourth on the team in defensive snaps behind Bobby Wagner, Frankie Luvu and Jeremy Chinn. The original plan was to keep Sainristil in the slot, where he spent most of his time in college, but he began to play more on the outside with the team needing more depth at cornerback. It's a credit to his versatility, but assuming the Commanders address the position in either free agency or the draft, the team must decide if he's better suited to go back inside or remain a perimeter corner.
-- Lattimore's next steps in Washington's defense: Peters said during his and Quinn's end-of-season press conference that Lattimore was put in a difficult situation with being traded late in the season, having to rehab to get back on the field and learning the Commanders' system on the fly. The team still loves his competitiveness and talent, which is why they're excited about giving him the chance to fully recover from his hamstring issues and go through a full offseason in their program. He will be a pivotal part of what the Commanders do at the position in 2025, so they will do whatever they can to maximize his talent.
Free agency
Click HERE to see all the players the Commanders could pursue in free agency with their available cap space.
Draft
Click HERE to see Draft Analyst Mel Kiper Jr.'s Big Board of draft prospects.
