5 veteran Commanders players who may not make the final roster in 2024

Tariq Castro-Fields - Commanders CB

I liked the signing of Tariq Castro-Fields shortly before the 2022 season. He was a long, rangy perimeter cornerback who impressed Adam Peters and the San Francisco 49ers enough to draft him in the sixth round out of Penn State.

The defensive back was injured for part of the 2022 season but got on the field a bit more last year. It did not go well for a secondary that became an ongoing weak link en route to an abysmal campaign from Jack Del Rio and Ron Rivera's defenses.

Castro-Fields committed two bad penalties in a game against the New York Giants last October. They were on special teams, which is where he must shine to make the 2024 roster. This might seem minuscule, but it won't go unnoticed by the new regime during their assessments.

As a cornerback, Castro-Fields would appear to be behind Christian Holmes and three recently signed free agents, some of whom have ties to the current coaching staff. He'll have to pull off a minor miracle to force his way into the team's plans this summer.

Castro-Fields is still young and still shows flashes of talent. Cornerbacks get hurt at one of the highest rates of any position in the NFL. That means he will probably be on a roster in 2024 - if not when the season begins, then as a mid-season replacement.

However, unless Joe Whitt Jr and Jason Simmons can work their magic on Castro-Fields when preparations for the upcoming campaign gather pace, his time in Washington may be up. There is still time to turn it around, but it gets more unlikely with every passing offseason.

Couple this with the new regime displaying no sentimental attachment to their decision-making process, Castro-Fields will be cast aside unless he proves his worth as a rotational cornerback who can make big plays on special teams. It's that simple.