We're now in July, which means that training camp is coming soon.
It's going to be an interesting period for the Washington Commanders, who are entering the next stage of a new regime. It will be general manager Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn's first season leading the Burgundy & Gold, and all eyes will be on Jayden Daniels as he begins to earn his spot as Washington's starting quarterback.
This year's training camp will also feature an overturned roster, half of which is made up of new players and draft picks.
For the past few weeks, Commanders.com will be looking at each position and highlighting some of the challenges they will face until the season begins. Next up are the tight ends.
On the roster
- John Bates
- Zach Ertz
- Armani Rogers
- Ben Sinnott
- Cole Turner
- Colson Yankoff
What to watch
- Zach Ertz's impact: Although technically not part of the Commanders' free agency class in March, Ertz was the new regime's first attempt at injecting the roster with some veteran leadership. Ertz's best years are behind him, but he doesn't lack athleticism or a natural feel for running routes. If he's any semblance of the tight end he was earlier in his career, he should be an asset for Daniels once he is named the starting quarterback. When it comes to his own position, Ertz has already provided some knowledge to his younger teammates like Sinnott. Ertz is clearly the starting tight end, so he's certainly going to get plenty of attention, but if he continues to look impressive in camp, he could be even more important to the offense's success.
- Ben Sinnott's development: While Ertz represents the present state of the Commanders' tight end position, the team hopes that Sinnott is the future. As the second tight end taken off the draft board, Sinnott is coming off a successful finale to his college career with 676 yards and six touchdowns at Kansas State. In OTAs and minicamp, Sinnott has some impressive catches while working with Daniels in seven-on-seven and team drills, although we'll have to wait until the pads come on to see how he fares as a blocker. It will be interesting to see where Sinnott falls on the depth chart by the end of camp. Bates seems to have TE2 locked up, but it wouldn't be a surprise if Sinnott were to win the job for himself.
- Competition at the bottom of the position: We have no idea how many tight ends the Commanders will keep by the end of camp. If it's only three, then the position is all but locked up with Ertz, Bates and Sinnott. If they keep four, the conversation becomes more intriguing. The previous coaching staff was excited about Rogers' development, but he hasn't played in almost a year and will need to prove himself to the new regime. Turner has yet to put it all together, despite the occasional flashes, and his roster security is far from a guarantee. There's also Yankoff, who doesn't offer much as a pass-catcher but could be useful on special teams. With three strong options at the top of the position, the rest will need to show the coaches why they deserve to stay on the active roster.
