Three players on the Commanders’ offense fighting for a roster spot in preseason finale including standout undrafted rookie
These players need to standout to earn a roster spot.
The final stretch of the preseason is here as the Washington Commanders take on the Baltimore Ravens at home on Saturday at noon ET, and a lot of players will be fighting for their futures.
The Commanders have some tough decisions to make on the offensive side of the ball, and there are still a couple of positions that need others to stand out. These are the players I’m keeping a close eye on in the preseason finale.
WR Ja’Corey Brooks
This is a tough one because undrafted rookie WR Ja’Corey Brooks has had a really solid training camp, and he really impressed in the first preseason game against the New England Patriots. He led the team with five catches for 59 yards in his first game in the NFL, and I was hoping to see another breakout game in Week 2.
Brooks only had one catch for seven yards against the Cincinnati Bengals, leaving him right on the roster bubble still. He’s built a connection with Jayden Daniels, which helps his case, but will they keep a rookie over a veteran, Dan Quinn knows, like Michael Gallup? It also comes down to how many receivers the team will keep, but I’m leaning six right now, which makes him a practice squad candidate.
QB Sam Hartman
The battle for QB3 might not seem important to some, but I think having a solidified QB room is important, especially with Marcus Mariota dealing with Achilles tendinitis over the last few weeks. He’s been going through a tough rehab to come back, and Mariota even had to play in some key games last season. Injuries are part of the game, and even the Philadelphia Eagles had to play three QBs last season.
The best-case scenario would be the younger QB in Hartman beating out the 39-year-old veteran Josh Johnson, but it looks like a tough battle to win at this point. The passing game through Hartman has been rough in the preseason. Through two games, Hartman has gone 13 for 29 and has only 93 yards and two interceptions. This final game is his last chance to make the team as QB3.
OG Chris Paul
I didn’t have Chris Paul making the team, but he’s played really well so far, and stood out the most in the second preseason game. He looks like he’s improved a lot, and it’ll be hard for the team to keep him off the roster. The Commanders have made a lot of moves on the offensive line to help out with injuries, but there’s still a spot for Paul to fight for.
He made an excellent pull-across block on the touchdown run from Bill Croskey-Merritt, and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury had to have loved what he saw on tape.
There are a lot of tough decisions to be made before the 53-man roster cutdown deadline on Tuesday at 4 pm ET, and these players need to ball out in the preseason finale to make a case for themselves. Who will make the most of the opportunity and potentially have a key moment in the 2025 season?
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