The Commanders have chance to repair a mistake with struggling player, and it could answer a roster question as well
The Commanders can see if they have an answer at one need on defense.
The Washington Commanders don’t have much to look forward to this season, but they do need to evaluate the roster and see who belongs for the long haul.
The defense is the biggest problem for the team, and major changes are needed this offseason, from top to bottom. You don’t have to wait that long, though, and the Commanders can make a change right now to see if they can fix one player who has had a down season, while filling in a need as well.
We’ve all seen how Mike Sainristil has regressed this season compared to his rookie year, and a move back to the outside could help bring out the best in him again. Now is the time to make the move with Marshon Lattimore out for the season.
Commanders need to play Mike Sainristil outside
The move back inside hasn’t gone well for Sainristil, even though he has shown flashes with three interceptions. The defense, as a whole, has been a disappointment, and the team needs to make changes. The main topic needs to be whether Sainristil can play outside again next season, and they need to play him there now to see how that looks.
Head coach Dan Quinn discussed the possibility of playing Jonathan Jones and Noah Igbinoghene, given that Lattimore is out for the season and Trey Amos is hurt.
“The candidates of Jonathan [Jones], obviously, he’s going to play more,” Quinn said. “And Noah [Igbinoghene], he’s got the experience inside at nickel as well. So, having Jonathan here and Mike with both inside and outside flex, that’s a big deal because now you’re not just – he can only play this spot. Think of it like the offensive lineman who can only play center and can’t play guard. So, the fact that those two guys play both is a big deal for us and Noah as well.
“So, when you’re outside, that’s a tough job, and sometimes that’s like Marshon [Lattimore] and Trey [Amos] mostly play on the outside, but when you have flexibility with both, it allows you defensively to – maybe there’s a matchup you like, you can even switch in a drive if you’d like.” And so, that can help too, but you’re on the right track, it’ll take a few guys to work through how we’ll go moving forward from here.”
Dan Quinn acknowledged Mike Sainristil’s struggles
Sainristil is a talented corner, and we saw that in his first year. However, the move into the slot might now have been the wrong move, as he’s playing too aggressively at times. Quinn said he’s capable of making big plays, but does too much sometimes.
“I would say there’ve been up and down moments,” Quinn added. “Meaning the playmaking, the interceptions I saw at LA, and you know, the last couple of weeks. So, the ball hawking mindset, which I love. There’s also been a couple of plays of overtrying, you know, to make those plays. And that’s kind of part of the process. You don’t like to go through that, but when you’re capable of making plays, well, I’ll make some more and I’ll make a few more, and then all of a sudden that’s not the one that you need to take a chance on.”
A move back outside might allow Sainristil to be more disciplined in his aggressive approach and put him in a position to make the big plays, while also preventing any. The Commanders need another corner this offseason, but if Sainristil can show he’s an outside corner with Amos, the defense will just need to find a slot corner to play inside next season.
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