Mike Sainristil - Commanders CB
Much has been made of the Washington Commanders' demise, which has primarily centered on aging players past their prime. However, the regression of potential long-term pieces hasn't helped their cause either.
The Commanders didn't have many cornerstone defensive players. Mike Sainristil looked like a potential superstar as a rookie, but the cornerback is finding it challenging to meet these expectations this time around.
Sainristil's been switched around a lot in Year 2. This stunted his rhythm, so finding some middle ground where he is best suited might be the smart way to go from Dan Quinn's perspective.
The head coach revealed that Sainristil is overcommitting. He is too eager to gain turnovers rather than focusing on discipline. His interception numbers are up, but so is the volume of explosive plays he's conceding.
That has to change, and it starts by switching Sainristil back to the boundary. He came into the league as a nickel option, but moving to the outside in 2024 saw the defensive back take his game to new heights. The Commanders should go back to that, and in all honesty, they don't have much of a choice.
Marshon Lattimore and Trey Amos — Washington's starting outside options — are both out for the season. Quinn will never get a better chance to see what Sainristil can do from the alpha role against the NFL's best.
Tyler Owens - Commanders S
Dan Quinn's iconic defenses with the Seattle Seahawks always featured physical, hard-hitting safeties who set the tone with impactful plays, supreme organization, and a never-say-die attitude. The Commanders don't have a Kam Chancellor or Earl Thomas, but the head coach might have an extra card or two to play yet.
From a pure athleticism standpoint, Tyler Owens fits the mold of what Quinn seeks in his defenders on the backend. His size, explosiveness, and quickness should be utilized more, especially considering the struggles that players such as Quan Martin and Jeremy Reaves are going through. And the Commanders need to adopt different methods, because whatever Joe Whitt Jr. has tried so far just hasn't worked.
Much like Jordan Magee, Owens is raw. His production on the field has never matched his athletic attributes. This is about harnessing his gifts positively in a way that benefits the team, and the only way he is going to get better at this stage is by logging defensive reps in a competitive setting.
Owens has carved out an impressive niche for himself as a special-teams ace, but the Commanders need to find ways to get him on the defensive rotation with more frequency. Letting him become impactful at the defensive second level in a similar way to how Jeremy Chinn was deployed last season could be worth its weight in gold.
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