Inaugural Washington Commanders Roster of 53 Prediction

Defensive Ends

1. Montez Sweat

2. James Smith-Williams

3. Casey Toohill

4. Shaka Toney

5. Efe Obada

PUP – Chase Young

When Chase Young returns (it could be mid-season) from PUP or IR, he will ascend to the top and the other ends will drop a notch.  At that juncture, a decision on whether to keep Obada or not will likely be debated.

Defensive Tackles

1. Jonathan Allen

2. Daron Payne

3. Phidarian Mathis

4. Daniel Wise

This group is all but set in stone.  Jonathan Allen is the gold standard here, but the one surprise for many fans would be the placement of Daniel Wise on this list.  He has earned it during this offseason and preseason.

Linebackers

1. Cole Holcomb

2. Jamin Davis

3. Khaleke Hudson

4. Nathan Gerry

5. David Mayo

The first four players are probably locked in, but it wouldn’t be too surprising if the front office decided to scan the cut list sometime next week.  A solid coverage linebacker is needed and a few should be available.  That could mean Mayo’s time in Washington is coming to an end.

Cornerbacks

1. William Jackson

2. Kendall Fuller

3. Benjamin St-Juste

4. Danny Johnson

5. Corn Elder

There are no surprises here, but any injuries would obviously change this prediction.

Safeties

1. Kamren Curl

2. Bobby McCain

3. Percy Butler

4. Darrick Forrest

These positions are pretty much set.  Steven Parker could find a home on the roster, but he is probably heading to the practice squad.

Special Teams

1. Joey Slye

2. Tress Way

3. Camaron Cheeseman

There are no surprises here.  The only unknown would be the returners.  Gibson, Milne, Johnson, and Erickson could perform these duties.  Gibson has a legitimate chance to be the primary kickoff return specialist and Erickson will likely have an inside lock as the punt returner.

Additional Thoughts

Any roster of 53 will be difficult to compile (this version took many days), especially with talented bubble players wanting to make a positive impression and unfortunate injuries to key personnel.

Some players will see their NFL dreams come to an end very soon and others will continue to pursue every avenue for a few additional years.  For all of them, hard work and determination will serve them well in all facets of life.

Many of you will have agreements and disagreements with this list, but keep in mind that it is one person’s opinion and nothing more.  The roster locks are easy to predict, but others are quite the challenge.  You are likely to see additional roster predictions here at Riggo’s Rag and, collectively, this will afford everyone the opportunity to evaluate each prospective player.

Note: Yours truly intended to include a practice squad roster today, but time constraints and several players added to the IR list over the last two days made that task very difficult.  We’ll try to have one for you in next year’s roster of 53 prediction.

We have so much more to talk about before the Commanders inaugural season arrives in the coming days.  We’re getting oh so close now and our favorite time of the year is almost at the doorstep.  Swing that door wide open and let the new football season in!  See you as we go along.