After an eventful offseason, attention is now turning to on-field preparations for the 2026 campaign. The Washington Commanders have a new-look roster and two new coordinators as they look to turn the tide, so there is a lot of hard work ahead in the coming months before their Week 1 opener against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Organized team activities are the first official date, though players have been gearing up for their upcoming challenges at voluntary workouts. It's the opening step toward what should hopefully be a productive summer, but the stakes are still high.
Players are jostling for position. Competition has increased across the board following an aggressive recruitment period led by general manager Adam Peters. Nothing will be given. Previous reputations don't matter, and everything must be earned as the slate gets wiped clean from last season's disappointment.
That's the only way things will start trending up for this ambitious franchise. Anyone not buying in or displaying the correct enhancements will be found out quickly. And for some in starting roles, they'll be feeling the heat more than most.
With this in mind, here are seven Commanders players whose projected starting spots could be in danger with OTAs on the immediate horizon.
Commanders players whose starting spots are in danger before OTAs even begin
Javon Kinlaw - Commanders DL
The Commanders raised more than a few eyebrows around the league with the signing of Javon Kinlaw to a three-year, $45 million deal with $30 million guaranteed. Most immediately perceived that as an overpay, and the defensive lineman did nothing to diminish this notion during his opening campaign with the club.
Kinlaw was a big talker during game weeks. He did very little to back it up, recording no sacks and looking lost more often than not. There were some brief flashes against the run, but nothing that warranted a significant financial outlay.
Despite media speculation, it doesn't make financial sense to remove Kinlaw. Daronte Jones believes he can get more out of him in a projected 3-4 defensive end role. But head coach Dan Quinn is also expecting Johnny Newton to take a substantial surge forward into breakout territory this season.
Newton offers much more as a pass-rusher, but he needs to improve his ability to stop the run. The core strength and discipline are lacking, but if the 2024 second-round pick can work out these issues, he might just push Kinlaw for a starting role.
The stakes have been raised for Kinlaw in no uncertain terms. And after last season's efforts, talk is extremely cheap.
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