Projecting Commanders depth chart following 2022 NFL Draft selections

Defensive Line

DE: Montez Sweat, Efe Obada, Casey Toohill

DT: Jonathan Allen, Phidarian Mathis 

DT: Daron Payne, Daniel Wise, Tyler Clark

DE: Chase Young, James Smith-Williams

It’ll be interesting to see how Ron Rivera and Jack Del Rio manage the DL rotation with Young expected to miss the start of next season. When healthy, though, it should look something like this, with Mathis, Wise, Smith-Williams and Obada all candidates for increased roles along the interior if Payne gets traded.

Linebackers

WLB: Jamin Davis, Khaleke Hudson

MLB: Cole Holcomb, David Mayo

Buffalo nickel: Unfilled

This is without question the weakest of Washington’s position groups. We’d feel a lot better about the rotation if Landon Collins was re-signed to fill the Buffalo nickel, but Holcomb is currently the only name that inspires confidence after he tallied 145 tackles, seven passes defended and two interceptions in 2021.

Secondary

CB: William Jackson, Benjamin St-Juste, Christian Holmes 

Strong safety: Kamren Curl, Percy Butler, Darrick Forrest

Free safety: Bobby McCain, Jeremy Reaves

Slot CB: Danny Johnson, Benjamin St-Juste, Corn Elder

CB: Kendall Fuller, Bejamin St-Juste, Troy Apke

We’re intrigued to see whether fourth-round pick Percy Butler carves out a role in the secondary, but his propensity to pack a punch and lay the wood could see him play a Deshazor Everett-like role at strong safety. The rest of rotation is straightforward, with the slot position offering the most allure in terms of competition.