5 winners and losers from Commanders triumph at the Browns in Preseason Week 1

Who were the winners and losers of the Washington Commanders' impressive preseason victory against the Cleveland Browns?

After plenty of drama throughout the offseason and even within the last few days after Ron Rivera's comments about Eric Bieniemy, the Washington Commanders mercifully turned their attention to football matters. And it was great to see their new era begin with victory in front of Josh Harris at the Cleveland Browns.

The result is secondary at this juncture. Getting out of warmup games unscathed on the injury front and evaluating how players are developing is far more important heading into the real action, but it was a confidence-building scoreline nonetheless.

All things considered, this was a positive outing for the Commanders. There was a slight dip in performance levels after the half-time break, but that's to be expected as players look to get their football legs back under them.

With that being said, here are five winners ad losers from Washington's win at the Browns.

Winner No. 1

Christian Holmes - Commanders CB

There was a level of ferocity across the Washington Commanders' secondary that was hard to ignore. There seems to be more aggression and energy within the group than at any stage during the previous campaign, which could make Jack Del Rio's defense a real force next season if everyone stays clear of injuries.

One player who caught the eye more than most on Friday evening was Christian Holmes. The gifted cornerback looked assured in coverage and came up with a couple of outstanding pass defenses to boost his roster chances considerably.

While there's no guarantee Holmes secures a place on the 53 initially, those in power would have a hard time leaving him out if the same consistency emerges over the next two preseason encounters.