Commanders News: Ron Rivera, Quan Martin, Terry McLaurin and Sam Howell

Commanders DB Quan Martin's involvement

A few eyebrows were raised when the Washington Commanders spent their second-round selection on another defensive back. They'd already taken cornerback Emmanuel Forbes at No. 16 overall out of Mississippi State, so to see them reinforce the secondary further was a head-scratcher to many.

Quan Martin was a good player in college at Illinois, but he hasn't seen one defensive snap as yet. When discussing the topic recently, head coach Ron Rivera stated via Sports Illustrated that hopes remain high for the No. 47 pick, but there are good players in front of him that he must surpass before warranting involvement.

"We do have high expectations for him, and it is just a matter of time, but you also got to consider the position he plays. It's a good group of young guys, and when you've got that many guys, the opportunities, they're not going to come. We're trying to make sure he's ready, that when that opportunity is there, that he gets the opportunity to go out and play and perform by being ready to go. When somebody's playing, you're not going to make changes to make changes or just say, ‘Oh yeah, well we drafted him, we got to play him’. They got to earn the right to get on the field too. They got to beat out whoever's in that position. Those guys that are in front of him are all very good football players. At least we believe so."

- Ron Rivera via Sports Illustrated

This is a good point from Rivera. However, it begs the question of why the Commanders took Martin in the first place, especially considering the outstanding interior offensive linemen that were available when Washington went on the clock.