10 Commanders draft picks under threat at 2024 training camp

The Washington Commanders have drafted 88 players - including one supplemental pick in 2018 - over the last decade. As they enter the 2024 training camp, 34 remain on the roster. Out of context, that number doesn’t mean a great deal.

For instance, an overwhelming number of those draftees - 30 out of those 34 - have been acquired since 2021. That includes the nine selected this April.

Good teams tend to have a balance of older and younger picks throughout their roster. The Commanders have just four players drafted by the team before 2021. That includes Jamison Crowder, the oldest of these players, who left the team for a while before returning last season. Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne, and Terry McLaurin are the only other players drafted between 2015 and 2020 still with the club.

The raw numbers mean little because we are still in the offseason. The Commanders currently have 91 players under contract. That number will be reduced to 53 before the season begins, with another 16 players signed to the practice squad.

Even if they do not sign any new free agents, 22 players currently under contract will not be Commanders come opening day. Some of the cuts will likely include a few recent draft picks.

The number of recent draftees that are released is likely to be on the high side. Washington has a new general manager and new scouts. Very few of the people involved in choosing classes through the 2023 season are still in decision-making roles. The new regime brought in a fresh batch of free agents who will be competing with players drafted by the previous guard.

We’ll leave out the 2024 draft class. There’s a good chance that all nine players chosen by Adam Peters and his staff will stick with the Commanders. If one or two of the late-round players do not make the final 53-man roster, they are shoo-ins for the practice squad. This could lead to action on Sundays as the season progresses.

Here are 10 Commanders draft picks who desperately need a good training camp. They are not merely battling for position on the depth chart. They enter the preparation period's most pivotal phase with their roster spots on the line.