3 Commanders position groups that could become weak links in 2024
By Seth Jones
Every Washington Commanders fan is extremely excited about this fresh-looking roster this upcoming season. General manager Adam Peters made some breathtaking moves this offseason to kick-start this rebuild. Optimism rose exponentially as a result.
With that being said, there are still several positions on this roster that could be liabilities throughout the campaign. This group is better, but there are substantially more holes than a team hopes to have.
Fans should pump the brakes on this team until further notice. It’s awesome to be optimistic, but it’s also good to sit down and evaluate where the Commanders may be lacking in 2024.
With this in mind, here are three Commanders position groups that could become weak links in 2024.
Commanders cornerbacks
The Washington Commanders allowed 4,627 passing yards and 39 passing touchdowns in 2023, which were both dead-last in the league. It can’t get worse than that, right?
There is some hope for improvement in 2024 for the cornerback room. But the Commanders still have one of the worst cornerback groups in the league as it stands.
Mike Sainristil, who was drafted in the second round of the draft out of Michigan, has an extremely high floor. He will spend most of his time in the nickel role but is versatile enough to line up on the outside in certain packages. The rookie is a smart and physical defensive back who will raise the level of play in the room.
Unfortunately, that’s the only positive for the cornerbacks. The defense will rely on Emmanuel Forbes Jr. and Benjamin St-Juste. Michael Davis was also signed in free agency, but he was a liability for the Los Angeles Chargers last season and is past his prime.
Here’s the good news. Dan Quinn and Joe Whitt Jr. came over from the Dallas Cowboys. Their schemes got the absolute most out of their defensive backs, even their average to below-average ones. I have some faith that they can do the same thing here in Washington.
At the very least, this cornerback room is in good hands when it comes to being coached up to improve their game. Who knows what Jack Del Rio was teaching these guys? It wasn’t anything good, that’s for sure.
Will there be an improvement for the Commanders’ cornerback room in 2024? Yes. However, that might not stop the unit from becoming a weak link, especially on the outside.