It's been a campaign that everyone connected to the Washington Commanders will want to erase from their memories quickly. Nobody is officially pressing the panic button just yet. Still, massive changes to the playing personnel and, potentially, the coaching staff are coming soon.
Some conclusions will be more challenging to reach for general manager Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn. Aside from a few franchise cornerstones, everyone should be nervously awaiting their fate. And for a once-promising draft pick, time is officially running out to reel fans back in from pure panic.
Nobody expected Quan Martin to fall off this much. The safety came to life under Quinn's guidance last season. Experts and fans were projecting a breakout campaign for the 2023 second-round pick, but he's fallen by the wayside.
Quan Martin's future with Commanders looks more uncertain than ever
There's been almost nothing remotely encouraging about the way Martin has applied himself this season. His positional sense leaves a lot to be desired. There is no conviction in his tackling technique, and the number of individual errors he's made in critical moments has quickly become a persistent frustration. Quinn has reduced his involvement on a few occasions since taking over defensive play-calling responsibilities from Joe Whitt Jr., which is a damning indictment of how his performances are being perceived.
The Commanders thought Martin could become a legitimate No. 1 option at the safety position. Letting Jeremy Chinn leave in free agency was proof positive of that. But unfortunately for the Illinois product, these responsibilities were too much to handle.
Washington needs a complete defensive overhaul this offseason. They have fluffed their lines almost constantly throughout the campaign, and quarterback Jayden Daniels hasn't been around much to mask these failures because of injury.
Martin is among the biggest underachievers. Even though he might stick around in 2026 — the final year of his rookie deal — the Commanders would be wise to find some upgrades on the backend when Peters' third recruitment period commences.
It'll be interesting to see how the Commanders utilize Martin in their regular-season finale against the Philadelphia Eagles. He must make every snap count in pursuit of taking a glimmer of positivity into the offseason. Anything less, and Washington could just as easily trade, demote, or release him when the time comes.
Martin's situation is precarious, even though most thought things would go the other way. And he's got one more game left before the player's fate gets taken out of his hands.