Commanders set 53-man roster: Wide receiver shakeup, surprise at tight end

The Washington Commanders’ initial 53-man roster is set.

More moves will be made in the coming days as teams often make adjustments upon a frenzy of players hitting the market. But Washington and the rest of the NFL had to trim rosters down from 90 to 53 players by Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline. 

The Commanders’ moves Tuesday featured some surprises. Washington ended up going with seven receivers, in part because undrafted rookie Mitchell Tinsley’s impressive preseason paid off. Washington only kept nine offensive linemen, one fewer than expected. And Kazmeir Allen’s miscues in the preseason finale — two drops and a muffed punt return — proved costly: The Commanders went with wideout Dax Milne as their punt returner.

Here’s a breakdown of the roster in full:

Quarterback (2): Sam Howell, Jacoby Brissett. This is the first time since 2018 that Washington’s initial roster features just two quarterbacks. The odd man out was Jake Fromm, who is reportedly a candidate for the practice squad after a strong preseason.

Running back (3): Brian Robinson, Antonio Gibson and Chris Rodriguez. No surprises here. Jonathan Williams made the Commanders’ 53-man roster last year, but the veteran faced an uphill climb to do so again after the team drafted Rodriguez in the sixth round. Williams also suffered an injury in Saturday’s preseason finale and was placed on injured reserve. 

Wide receiver (7): Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, Curtis Samuel, Dyami Brown, Byron Pringle, Dax Milne and Mitchell Tinsley. Milne isn’t a flashy punt returner, but he can get the job done. That gave him the edge over Allen, an undrafted rookie who was in the mix to be Washington’s punt returner until he muffed a punt inside the 10 in Saturday’s game. Milne is also a much more polished route runner than Allen.

Tinsley is Washington’s feel-good training camp story of the year. The former Penn State product latched on as an undrafted wide receiver and impressed coaches with his sharp route running and ability to catch the ball. He hauled in three catches for 89 yards a touchdown in Saturday’s game.  

Tight end (4): Logan Thomas, Cole Turner, John Bates and Curtis Hodges. Curtis Hodges over Alex Armah was a big surprise. Armah, a fullback who could fill in at tight end, appeared to have been valued for his positional flexibility and blocking. But in the end, the Commanders went with Hodges — a second-year tight end who had a quiet camp, but probably has a bigger upside than Armah. The Commanders also likely factored in that Armah could easily clear waivers, making him eligible to return via the practice squad. 

Offensive line (9): Charles Leno, Saahdiq Charles, Nick Gates, Sam Cosmi, Andrew Wylie, Cornelius Lucas, Chris Paul, Ricky Stromberg and Trent Scott. On Monday, the Commanders placed rookie tackle Braeden Daniels on season-ending injured reserve with a torn rotator cuff — freeing up a spot for Scott. The notable omission in this group is center Tyler Larsen, but the veteran is reportedly still in the mix to return in the coming days. Perhaps Washington will clear space for Larsen with a corresponding move (Phidarian Mathis to injured reserve?). If Larsen isn’t brought back, Washington has just two centers on the roster: Gates and rookie Stromberg. 

Defensive line (11): Chase Young, Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne, Montez Sweat, Efe Obada, James Smith-Williams, Casey Toohill, K.J. Henry, Andre Jones Jr., Phidarian Mathis and John Ridgeway. Smith-Williams was on the bubble, but he made it in the end. The edge rusher has proven to be reliable, starting 14 games last season in place of an injured Chase Young. Smith-Williams also has the flexibility to kick inside if need be. The biggest question in this group is what happens with Mathis, who hasn’t practiced since hurting his calf Aug.11 in Washington’s preseason opener. 

Linebacker (4): Jamin Davis, Cody Barton, Khaleke Hudson and David Mayo. De’Jon “Scoota” Harris is a strong candidate to make the practice squad, but there wasn’t room for him on the active roster. Davis, meanwhile, has another court date set for Thursday, related to his reckless driving charge that could result in jail time. 

Cornerback (5): Kendall Fuller, Emmanuel Forbes, Benjamin St-Juste, Danny Johnson and Christian Holmes.

Safety (5): Kam Curl, Darrick Forrest, Percy Butler, Quan Martin, Jeremy Reaves.

These two groups also had no surprises. Cornerback Rachad Wildgoose was steady in training camp, though he was uneven once the preseason games began. Wildgoose’s inability to play on the outside likely hurt his case to make the roster as Washington has a number of slot options ahead of him. 

Kicker, punter and long snapper (3): Joey Slye, Tress Way, Camaron Cheeseman. There has been some kicker movement around the NFL in recent days, including on Tuesday. The New Orleans Saints traded Will Lutz to the Denver Broncos. The Cleveland Browns acquired former Washington kicker Dustin Hopkins. But the Commanders stood pat: Slye is their guy.