4 players who must step up after Commanders lengthy injury report

2. Cole Turner

It might be a little unfair to say a rookie fifth-round tight end has to “step up,” but Turner was all the rage during OTAs and minicamp and now has a glorious opportunity to become a staple of the Commanders offense in Year 1.

While John Bates was Washington’s standout rookie last campaign, Turner is a more polished pass-catcher and Thomas plays a huge role in the aerial attack because of his size (6-foot-6, 250 pounds) and red zone prowess.

At 6-6 and 240 with athleticism and a catch radius you can’t teach, Turner projects as a like-for-like replacement for Thomas more so than Bates, who’s your old-school tight end in that he’s a wrecking ball as a run-blocker (87.6 PFF grade last year) and does his damage as a receiver in the intermediate passing game.

Turner, meanwhile, can stretch the field, haul in jump balls and create mismatches in the red zone, where Washington was awful in 2021. We’re not saying the Nevada product has to become an instant star in Thomas’ absence, but he won’t get a better opportunity to showcase his talent while the veteran recovers.