Key observations from Commanders’ Week 1 snap counts

The Washington Commanders are 1-0 after beating Jacksonville and have a great opportunity to pick up another win this Sunday in Detroit.

In a vacuum, there was a lot to learn from the win. In terms of positives, it was great to see Carson Wentz respond from his two second half turnovers. Additionally, the receiving corps flashed its seemingly sky-high potential and the defense’s bend-but-don’t-break mentality was just enough to see out the victory.

While there was plenty to learn watching what transpired in between the sidelines, there was equally-important lessons to be had from the team’s Week 1 snap counts. Here are some of our biggest takeaways from the final snaps.

Key takeaways from Commanders Week 1 snap counts 

Only Cole Holcomb and Jamin Davis played LB

The Commanders’ lack of depth at linebacker is well-documented and it showed in spades against the Jaguars, as Cole Holcomb and Jamin Davis were the only linebackers to see the field. Holcomb played every snap, while Davis played 65 of 70 snaps. That’s not overly surprising, but it has to sound some alarm bells, no?

Holcomb and Davis are conditioned to play every snap. That much is obvious, but neither player covered themselves in glory Sunday. Holcomb played all 70 snaps and managed just five tackles; one of the lowest tallies of any LB in Week 1 and Davis was overmatched in coverage, though he wasn’t put in great spots.

It’ll be interesting to see how the Commanders rotate their linebackers moving forward and which bench player, if any, joins the rotation.

Top 3 WRs Dominated Snap Counts

The Commanders’ top three receivers stole the show in Week 1. They accounted for all four of Washington’s touchdowns and combined for 13 catches for 153 yards. Pretty remarkable debut after all the hype they garnered this offseason, yet not surprising considering they dominated the receiver snap share.

Terry McLaurin led the way at 90%, followed by Jahan Dotson at 88% and Curtis Samuel at 71%. The next receiver, Cam Sims, logged eight snaps, or 10%, while Dax Milne played six snaps and Dyami Brown finished at the bottom with three saps.

We’d like to see Sims get more playing time, but the big takeaway here is Brown clearly not being part of the plans on offense. If the second-year receiver doesn’t become more involved in the weeks to come, the Commanders might as well consider trading him at the deadline if everyone’s healthy.

Big workload for Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne

Washington generally loves rotating their defensive linemen pretty heavily. That doesn’t exclude Jon Allen and Daron Payne. While both players were in a groove Sunday, it’s pretty noteworthy they played 77% and 79% of the snaps, respectively.

Allen played 54 snaps in total. He only reached the 50-snap threshold four times last season and just once over the final 11 games. Payne, meanwhile, logged 55 snaps. In 2021, he managed 55 or more snaps in just five games.

Maybe a big workload for Allen and Payne was the plan all along, but the injury to Phidarian Mathis undoubtedly played a role and we’re anxious to see if this remains a consistent theme throughout the year or is simply a Week 1 outlier.

Time will tell.