Longstanding ESPN insider John Keim took a swing at how the Washington Commanders' 53-man roster could look when Week 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles arrives. There weren't many surprises, but there was no room for one promising player who's failed to meet expectations so far.
And even though all hope is not lost with safety Tyler Owens, the stakes have been raised in no uncertain terms.
Owens wasn't on Keim's 53, and the beat writer is not alone in his opinion. He went with Nick Cross, Will Harris, Jeremy Reaves, Quan Martin, and Percy Butler as Washington's safety options. An argument can be made for this eventuality, but the 2024 undrafted free agent out of Texas Tech still has some untapped potential to make things interesting.
Unfortunately for Owens, his NFL career has gone in a similar trajectory to his college journey.
Tyler Owens must start delivering on his obvious promise to make the Commanders' roster
He's got all the athleticism needed to be a genuine force on the defensive back end. Owens is big, long, fast, and physical. The instincts have improved enough to make him a solid special-teams asset, but there wasn't enough confidence to put him in the defensive rotation that much.
It's not hard to see why.
For all of Owens' imposing physical gifts, everything just hasn't come together. His positional sense often lets him down, and his tackling technique remains raw two years into his time in Washington. The coverage capabilities have improved slightly, but there is a huge amount of hard work ahead this summer to earn a third year on the squad.
Cross, Harris, Martin, and Reaves are seemingly roster locks. That leaves one or two spots for the rest, and given how valued Butler is as a special-teamer, he may have the upper hand on Owens right now.
And if he cannot beat out Butler for the fifth safety spot, perhaps Washington isn't the best place for Owens after all.
Owens was a feel-good-story during the 2024 offseason. He deservedly earned his place on the team, and he did exactly the same last summer. But at some point, promise is not going to be enough.
Delivering is all that matters.
Unless Owens shows the right growth over the camp and the preseason, a situation could arise in which he is cut loose. Doing that in drills will be straightforward for a man with his gifts. But the litmus test will come in Washington's warmup contests.
He has to shine early and often before his fate is sealed. And if Keim's prediction is accurate, it could legitimately go either way.
Add us as a preferred source on Google