18 players who are locks for the Commanders 2024 roster

Commanders CBs (2)

• Emmanuel Forbes Jr., Quan Martin

The top two picks from the 2023 NFL Draft both have to step up. I assume Quan Martin will be a cornerback - probably in the slot - going forward. I think he can be very good there.

I also think Benjamin St-Juste will be on the Washington Commanders next season. He is still cheap and has talent. This defense has been a disaster and he has been victimized multiple times. But I have also seen him play well. the former third-rounder just hasn’t been reliable enough to call him a lock.

Kendall Fuller is a free agent in 2024. He will draw interest. I think the Commanders will want him back, but they may balk at his price despite having an abundance of salary-cap space available.

A lot of other depth pieces are on team-friendly contracts next year. But they will all be competing with a crop of newcomers for backup roles.

Commanders safeties (2)

• Darrick Forrest, Percy Butler

As with so many other locks, these recent mid-level draft picks are young and cheap. I don’t think Percy Butler has filled in very well for Darrick Forrest as a deep safety, but he should do better playing in the box.

That may matter because Kamren Curl will draw plenty of interest if he's allowed to test the market. Washington has yet to re-sign him. I expect they want to, but he has not indicated whether he wants to return.

I wish I could call him a lock, but I can’t. Jeremy Reaves is also a free agent and coming off injury. We’d all like to see him return, but the new coaches may want to look for younger, faster players.