Training camp is just a few days away, and the Washington Commanders have a lot to figure out before their eagerly anticipated Week 1 showdown against the Philadelphia Eagles.
The roster looks in better shape after an eventful offseason on the recruitment front. General manager Adam Peters was calculated and aggressive, shifting his ethos from aging veterans to productive players in their prime who were coming off their rookie contracts. It's not the finished article yet, but there is a quiet satisfaction with the options available.
How these pieces come together this summer will be crucial.
The Commanders got way ahead of themselves last year and paid the price. The mood was very different throughout OTAs and mandatory minicamp, with head coach Dan Quinn maximizing every available day and the players doing their part by putting in extra effort to improve the team's chances of bouncing back.
This also means there is no room for those who are not meeting the desired targets. The Commanders have to be more competitive, or heads will be on the chopping block. That is the cold nature of this business, which should keep everyone's urgency high.
Some more than others, too. With this in mind, here are seven Commanders players who are on thin ice with everything to prove entering this year's training camp.
Washington Commanders players on thin ice entering a make-or-break training camp
Ben Sinnott - Commanders TE
There is no getting away from it; the start to Ben Sinnott's professional career has been underwhelming at best.
The tight end was an afterthought under previous offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, who clearly didn't believe in him enough to come through with the goods. When the Commanders signed Chig Okonkwo in free agency, it represented another damning indictment of how his development is being perceived behind the scenes.
Sinnott has the athletic tools, and he has been a dependable pass-catcher when opportunities arise. Kingsbury just didn't trust him enough, but David Blough is already trying to find ways to make the most out of his athletic gifts.
Whether it's using Sinnott in different alignments or as an H-back, the Commanders experimented heavily with the Kansas State product over Washington's offseason program. It received a positive response, but the hard work is just beginning.
Fans and coaches have a much broader sense of how far along a player is during camp and the preseason. When the pads come on, it brings a different mindset, so Sinnott must keep the tempo high and maximize absolutely every opportunity that comes his way.
Nothing else will do.
Sinnott's place on the roster isn't under any threat. But the Commanders did not draft him at No. 53 overall in 2024 to be a fringe player. They thought he would be a long-term piece of the puzzle, and they also thought he would be further along by now.
That is the harsh reality Sinnott is facing this summer.
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