Benjamin St-Juste - Commanders CB
Benjamin St-Juste is going through some issues right now. The Washington Commanders recognized this too, giving the confidence-sapped cornerback a significantly reduced role during their Week 12 defeat to the Dallas Cowboys at Northwest Stadium.
St-Juste played a season-low 58 percent of defensive snaps. His usage is steadily decreasing. The Commanders are also working out veteran free-agent cornerbacks in pursuit of finding better alternatives. That doesn't inspire much hope things can trend upward for the Minnesota product over the final five games of the regular season.
There are some bright moments from St-Juste, but he's always prone to giving up a big play through concentration lapses and poor technique. The former third-round selection is conceding 64.8 percent of targets and a 112.1 passer rating when targeted. These are the highest numbers since his rookie campaign.
This regression from St-Juste comes with terrible timing attached. The player is out of contract next spring, which should have provided some extra urgency to raise performance levels. That hasn't been the case, so it would be surprising to see general manager Adam Peters offer him a new deal before free agency arrives.
Luke McCaffrey - Commanders WR
Considering how the Commanders are crying out for extra help in the passing game, it's bemusing to see Luke McCaffrey remain an afterthought. However, there might be more to it.
Either McCaffrey isn't showing enough to the coaching staff during practice and when his number is called on game days, or the trust just isn't there between the third-round pick and fellow rookie Jayden Daniels. That's arguably a bigger problem.
McCaffrey can get open. His separation rates remain high despite getting just 18 targets throughout the campaign. He brought in his only reception for eight receiving yards against the Dallas Cowboys from just 26 percent of Washington's offensive snaps. Another almost anonymous contribution when consistency was sorely lacking elsewhere.
Let's go back to Week 1 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. McCaffrey got three targets and was on the field for 61 percent of offensive snaps. That's not exactly the progression anybody had in mind.
Whether things continue similarly for McCaffrey over Washington's final five games remains to be seen. The Commanders wouldn't lose much by getting the Rice product more targets. If he doesn't take advantage, then normal service can resume.