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

Chris Paul - Commanders OL

A lot of mock drafts this year had the Washington Commanders selecting Houston's towering offensive tackle Patrick Paul. He is the brother of interior offensive lineman Chris Paul, who heads into the campaign with plenty of questions to answer.

As it turned out, even if they were interested, the Miami Dolphins chose the talented edge protector in the second round, which was on the top-end spectrum of where he was projected. Now, the Commanders might not have either Paul on their roster in 2024.

Paul was chosen in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Tulsa. He was billed as physically gifted but raw in terms of technical prowess. Washington struggled throughout the entire 2022 season to keep a pair of guards healthy and productive. He finally got his chance in the final game of the campaign.

His performance suggested that the early analysis was correct. Paul ran all over the field, moving far better than any of Washington’s veteran guards. But he was too upright and often wasn’t able to finish blocks with enough conviction.

When Ricky Stromberg went down with an injury early in 2023, Paul got a better look. He essentially became the team’s first option off the bench at guard. He played more than 400 offensive snaps, but the technical problems persisted.

He did not show any real growth from the unpolished rookie who started the final game of 2022. Whether that is due to his deficiencies or poor coaching from the Commanders' staff - most of whom are no longer around - is up for debate.

The Commanders didn’t exactly stockpile interior offensive linemen this offseason, but they have 2023 draft picks Stromberg and Braeden Daniels returning from injury and veteran Michael Deiter in the fold. Paul will have to beat out at least two of them to retain his backup position entering his third season with the franchise.