The Washington Commanders kicked off the 2026 preseason with a dominant 20-7 win over the Miami Dolphins on Friday night. From undrafted free agent running backs to rangy safeties, several Commanders players made strong cases for roster spots while others failed to help their cause.

So, let’s go ahead and break down the winners and losers from the Commanders’ preseason opener against the Dolphins.

Winners

1. RB Robert Henry Jr.

There’s no other way to start off this list than with Robert Henry Jr. The undrafted free agent rookie out of UTSA was electric on Friday night. He finished the game with 12 carries for 75 yards, good for 6.3 yards per carry and a touchdown. He even saw action at kick returner and punt returner, where he had a solid kick return negated by a holding penalty. He still got the ball out past the 30-yard line. On one of his punt returns, he didn’t gain a whole lot of yards, but he made a couple of guys miss, showing off the shiftiness and elusiveness that make him such an intriguing prospect.

I had Robert Henry Jr. as somebody to look out for once the preseason started, and right now he’s certainly making some noise. It’ll be worth watching how that affects the Commanders’ running back room as a whole.

2. RB Kaytron Allen

Sticking with the running back room, Allen led Washington with 23 carries for 85 yards and a touchdown. Granted, he only averaged 3.7 yards per pop. Still, that’s what Kaytron Allen is going to be for this team. He’s going to do the dirty work. He’s going to get the hard yards. He’s going to be in the lineup whenever it’s second-and-goal from the 1-yard line, simply because of his physical play style.

That doesn’t mean he’s going to be confined to averaging under four yards per carry every single week. Allen can still make you miss in the open field from time to time, and he’s got good vision and instincts. Either way, it’s a promising debut alongside Henry Jr.

3. CB Antonio Hamilton Sr.

What can you say about the night Antonio Hamilton Sr. had? It seemed like every time there was a big hit on defense or special teams, Hamilton was leading the way. He finished second on the team with four combined tackles, a tackle for loss, and a pass breakup. This is what Washington knew it was getting when the Commanders re-signed him a few months ago.

Hamilton Sr. probably won’t be a starter this year, but he’s a depth guy you can rely upon in tight spots and a good special teams player.

4. QB Sam Hartman

I’m not going to lie, I had a little bit of trouble putting Sam Hartman on the winners side of things, but overall I do think he played pretty well. He’s got to get better with his ball placement. He had several inaccurate throws, especially on the interception. But he did look like he calmed down once things started going, and coach Dan Quinn even talked about how he was impressed with how Hartman handled the 2-minute drill before halftime.

I have to agree with Quinn on that one. Hartman was very productive in that 2-minute drill, and he didn’t rush through it. To Quinn’s point, he made sure the Commanders chewed as much clock as possible, ensuring Miami would have very little to no time to get the ball back if Washington had to punt or even if it scored. That’s exactly what happened, and the Commanders got a score out of it.

5. WR Jaylin Lane

We know what Lane can do as a returner. The next key development step for him is to prove he can make plays in the passing game, and he did that on Friday night, finishing with a team-leading three catches for 31 yards on four targets with a long of 17. He moved the chains, and that’s an efficient night for a receiver.

This bodes well for the Commanders’ receiver room as a whole because, before Stefon Diggs arrived, there were a lot of questions about who was going to be that guy after Terry McLaurin. I’m not saying Lane is going to have a breakout season, but it was very encouraging to see him make those plays in the passing game.

6. S Quan Martin

Sure, the interception came on a bad throw and a miscommunication, but that’s exactly what Quan Martin can bring to this defense: range. I’ve talked about it all offseason long. The Commanders have a couple of rangy safeties, but there are questions with their games in Martin and Jeremy Reaves. Still, it was very encouraging to see Martin make that play because when he’s at his best, he’s a solid player. We saw that in 2024. He regressed in 2025, but he was also coming off double shoulder surgery, and that’s going to take anybody time to adjust.

Either way, Martin’s stock is definitely up after Friday night.

Losers

1. WR Luke McCaffrey

Two targets, zero catches, zero yards. McCaffrey looked okay in run blocking, but at this point, his production just has to get better. He hasn’t done anything over his first two seasons in the NFL. He’s got good size, good hands, and the athleticism to play inside and out, but 29 catches for 371 yards and three touchdowns across two seasons is poor. He hasn’t even topped 20 receptions in a single season. Going 0-for-2 in this game is not a good way to start the preseason.

2. DL Jer’Zhan “Johnny” Newton

Newton finished with two total tackles, but he just didn’t look good. He was getting pushed around and blocked off. And yes, the Dolphins had their starters out for the first couple of drives. But Newton is a high second-round pick that a lot of evaluators thought would go in the first round. His injury is what bumped him out of the first round, so the talent and pedigree are there.

I don’t buy the argument that Miami’s starters automatically put Newton at a disadvantage. He got outplayed and outmanned. He’s got to step it up next week. Shy Tuttle looked better than him, just to put it that way.

3. RB Jerome Ford

Ford finished with just one carry for four yards and played just five offensive snaps. With the rise of Robert Henry Jr. and Kaytron Allen, Ford sank even further to the bottom of the depth chart in the Commanders’ running back room. Friday night didn’t do anything to help him. He couldn’t produce on his own and got outplayed by two fellow teammates vying for those final roster spots.

Overall, it was a pretty encouraging performance from Washington in the first preseason game. There are going to be ups and downs, guys who take a step back and then take a step forward and vice-versa. Still, we are one step closer to figuring out what this final 53-man roster is going to look like in 2026.