Dominique Hampton - Commanders S/LB
Adam Peters' first draft class was a big success. However, there was one rookie who became an innocent bystander as the Washington Commanders propelled themselves to levels not seen for decades.
Dominique Hampton was a fifth-round safety from the Washington Huskies who played a key role in their trip to the college football national championship game in 2023. His transition was difficult, which forced the Commanders to switch him from the back end to the linebacking corps to make better use of his physical attributes.
Hampton made the 53-man roster, but he was a healthy scratch for most of the campaign. That means the player remains an unknown quantity entering Year 2, so it'll be fascinating to see what the Commanders have planned for him at training camp.
Washington has high hopes for Jordan Magee. They also drafted Kain Medrano this year, who came highly recommended out of UCLA and has an already established relationship with linebackers coach Ken Norton Jr. That makes establishing himself even more challenging for Hampton, who's entering a sink-or-swim scenario this summer.
Hampton must impose himself immediately. If he starts slow and gets left behind by Magee and Medrano, one couldn't dismiss the possibility of the versatile defender being among the surprising cut candidates before Week 1.
Michael Gallup - Commanders WR
The Commanders allowed Michael Gallup to get back into the NFL this offseason. He spent a year away from the game due to retirement, but the wide receiver seems refocused and motivated to remind the world why he was considered a highly productive pass-catcher once upon a time.
Gallup knows Dan Quinn well from their time together on the Dallas Cowboys. He made an impressive start to life in Washington over early workouts, but a hamstring strain prevented him from building on this momentum at mandatory minicamp.
This brought concern. Gallup's injury problems before retirement were well documented, and his 1,000-yard receiving season in 2019 is a distant memory. It also happens to be a crowded wide receiver room with very few open spots.
Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel Sr., Luke McCaffrey, Noah Brown, and rookie fourth-rounder Jaylin Lane will all make the squad. That leaves one spot, or two if the Commanders decide to take through seven receivers. With players like K.J. Osborn, Ja'Corey Brookes, and Chris Moore also fancying their chances, it raises the stakes for Gallup in no uncertain terms.
Avoiding any further injury complications is critical. If Gallup can do that and force the issue early at training camp, he'll have a shot to make it.