One needed veteran makes his season debut, while the Commanders continue to disregard one issue that can backfire with inactives
Commanders announce their inactive players against the Chargers.
The Washington Commanders are ready to kick off on the road against the Los Angeles Chargers, and they are getting much-needed help back, while still missing a few key players.
Quarterback Jayden Daniels is coming back from his knee injury in his homecoming game in California, but he will be without two top weapons in Terry McLaurin and Noah Brown. Luckily for the team, they will be getting a needed boost on defense with a recently signed free agent making his debut for the Commanders.
One issue to watch in defense, however, is the lack of playing time by the younger players, and it seems like that trend will continue with linebacker Ale Kaho and Kain Medrano inactive this week.
Preston Smith is making his season debut
I can’t say he’s making his Washington debut, as defensive end Preston Smith is back home with the Commanders, where he was drafted back in 2015. The Smith signing came after the Commanders lost Deatrich Wise for the rest of the season during the Green Bay Packers game, but now he’s needed even more. While Smith was ramping up with the team, second-year defensive end Javontae Jean-Baptiste suffered another injury and will be out for a long time, according to head coach Dan Quinn.
We will get our first look at Smith today, with him being active for the first time, and he will likely play a decent amount of snaps with the injuries piling up.
Smith isn’t the only notable defender playing today where he’s needed, as safety Percy Butler is coming back to try to help a struggling secondary, and be a key contributor on special teams as well. There are two younger players not getting the chance to make a play today, with Kaho and Medrano being listed as inactive, which will be controversial after last week.
The defensive coverage issues could remain the same
One recurring theme over the last few weeks has been passing offenses taking advantage of the Commanders’ defense, and more specifically, pointing out Bobby Wagner’s weakness. Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson was the most recent player to have a big play on Wagner dropping into coverage, but he wasn’t the first. Wagner and Frankie Luvu both played 100% of snaps last week, and we aren’t seeing anything from the young linebackers in Kaho, Medrano, or Jordan Magee.
Medrano was specifically drafted for his coverage abilities, yet second and third and long situations continue to be a back breaker for the Commanders with Wagner in coverage. The Chargers will be a good test to see if the defense has a response after facing much-deserved adversity over the last three weeks.
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