Commanders’ unofficial depth chart confirmed a suspicion and set the record straight about a recent draft pick ahead of Week 1
The Commanders released the first depth chart with some controversial rankigns.
Well, buckle up, it’s time for real football, and the Washington Commanders have released its first unofficial depth chart, so we have to react to what stands out.
The Commanders are back to practice on Wednesday, and they will be releasing the first injury report as well, but we got the depth chart first to get an idea of what we can expect from every position come Sunday.
There are certainly a lot of things that stand out, including Bill Croskey-Merrit’s spot in the running back room, and whether or not rookies Trey Amos and Josh Conerly Jr. earned starting spots.
My suspicion about the running back room is confirmed for now
I put out an article on my thoughts about the running back room, and boy, did it get a lot of attention from the fantasy football community. This is the position that has had the most questions regarding usage, and where each running back will be listed on the depth chart, and a lot of people are going to hate this. Here’s how the Commanders have listed the running back room:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Austin Ekeler | Jeremy McNichols | Chris Rodriguez Jr. | Bill Croskey-Merritt |
This kind of answers what to expect for Week 1, but this will be a very fluid position. My guess has been that Rodriguez Jr. will be the starter with his production and experience, and Croskey-Merritt rotating in. I’ve also said that Croskey-Merritt’s role will increase over time, so the team may go with Ekeler and Rodriguez Jr. first to start the season without any hiccups.
Josh Conerly Jr. looks to start at Right Tackle
The first unofficial depth chart also has first-round rookie Josh Conerly Jr. ready to get his first start in the big leagues against a familiar face on Sunday. Conerly Jr. is the guy, and there’s no more or listed after him; he’s the starter without a doubt. He gets a big opportunity in Week 1 against a really good New York Giants defensive line, including rookie Abdul Carter, who has a history with Conerly Jr.
The two went at it in the Big Ten Championship this past season, and Conerly Jr. won that matchup pretty clearly. Carter will be even more motivated on Sunday to get his revenge.
The Giants will have many options to try to get in the backfield with Carter, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Brian Burns, but we will likely see Carter be the guy to go against Conerly Jr. with Laremy Tunsil on the other side. It won’t be easy for Conerly Jr, but the coaching staff has loved what they’ve seen from the rookie all offseason.
Trey Amos earns a starting spot
The steal of the draft is slated to get his first NFL start on the outside of the secondary. Trey Amos falling to the Commanders at 61 was the most surprising part of the draft, and he’s a day-one impact player. He’s had a great offseason and showed all of those flashes that had him as a first-round prospect.
Mike Sainristil is moving into the slot after an impressive rookie season on the outside, and Amos has big shoes to fill. Lattimore is probably going to be the main corner covering Malik Nabers, but don’t be surprised when the Giants move him around to test Amos and see what he has.
It’s Deebo time in Washington
We obviously knew that wide receiver Deebo Samuel was going to start, but we got a look at how they plan to use him. He’s listed as the starting slot receiver with Terry McLaurin and Noah Brown on the outside, and expect Samuel to move all around the field. Brown is still coming back from an injury, so rookie Jaylin Lane can play on the outside and in the slot as well to help out with Brown’s snap counts. The versatility of Samuel and Lane will help offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury move pieces around and really create magic on offense.
Another semi-surprising part about Samuel on the depth chart was how he was listed as the starting kick returner on special teams with Luke McCaffrey. Head coach Dan Quinn has hinted at this as a possibility, and he’s looked great returning kicks in practice, but I didn’t expect them to actually do it with his importance on offense.
The only noteworthy thing that stood out on the depth chart was the listing of Nick Allegretti as the right guard option, or Andrew Wylie, right behind him. The Commanders are preparing for a massive Week 1 matchup against the Giants, and we will finally see what the team looks like when they take the field on Sunday.
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