How nervous are you really about the Commanders this year?
Seemingly overnight, the Washington Commanders turned their franchise around and became one of the most intriguing clubs in the NFL. Led by rookie quarterback sensation Jayden Daniels, Washington finished 2024 with a 12-5 record and a spot in the NFC Championship game, a game they hadn’t played in since the Joe Gibbs era. Following the sale of the team to new owner Josh Harris, the Commanders made swift changes that saw immediate dividends.
First, Harris appointed Adam Peters, who previously worked with the San Francisco 49ers, to be his general manager. Upon taking the role as general manager, Peters hired Dan Quinn away from the Cowboys to be their head coach. Suddenly, Washington has emerged as stiff competition for the Cowboys alongside the Philadelphia Eagles. The scary part is, Washington is still largely an incomplete rebuild. There are a few components that can make them harder to contend with, or if they don’t work out for the Commanders, will stagnate the rebuild. Here are a few X-factors for the Commanders when they face the Cowboys this season.
Deebo Samuel
For as good as Jayden Daniels was as a rookie, throwing for almost 3,600 yards, he did it mostly with Terry McLaurin as his only notable wide receiver. Looking to further support Daniels with help, Washington traded a fifth-round draft pick for Deebo Samuel, reuniting him with Peters in Washington. Samuel is a dynamic threat doing damage as a receiver or a runner. In four meetings versus the Cowboys, Samuel has averaged 82.3 yards per game and 9.1 yards per touch versus Dallas. His best season as a pro came in 2021, when he had 1,772 yards from scrimmage.
Washington offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury has a lot to work with in his backfield when you factor in the mobility of Daniels, the rugged running style of Brian Robinson, and Samuel as a dual option. That said, he’s not come close to achieving those same heights since, and as a receiver, he hasn’t eclipsed 900 receiving yards since 2021. If Dallas can manage to keep tabs on Samuel in the running game, their secondary should be equipped to contain this current iteration of Samuel as a pass catcher.
Marshon Lattimore
At last season’s trade deadline, Washington traded for Marshon Lattimore and a fifth-round pick from the New Orleans Saints in exchange for a package of draft picks. The fifth-round pick offered by the Saints was later traded away to acquire Deebo Samuel. Unsurprisingly, Lattimore was elevated to the team’s top cornerback upon being activated by the Commanders.
Unfortunately for Washington, Lattimore was in and out of the lineup for the Commanders following the trade because of a hamstring injury. There’s no denying Lattimore’s talent when he’s on the field. He’s ultra competitive and still has premier ball skills. However, the biggest question mark about Lattimore is staying healthy.
If he is on the field, expect to see an exciting matchup between him and George Pickens. Both are among the most demonstrative players at their positions and Lattimore loves to try to get in his opponents heads with chippy play and trash talk. Pickens is a dog who will bark and bite back with the best of them. It’s going to be a battle at the catch point between Pickens and Lattimore.
Josh Conerly
For as great as Jayden Daniels is, Washington has to do a better job of keeping him upright. Last season, Washington allowed 50 sacks, tied for the seventh-most in the NFL. To remedy the situation, Washington drafted Josh Conerly out of Oregon with the 29th overall pick in the draft. Conerly tested extremely well at the scouting combine with a 10-yard split of 1.71 seconds and a vertical jump of 34.5 inches. Here’s what Peters had to say about Conerly after selecting him:
“You look at the tape and you see what an incredible athlete he is for his size, which is backed up by a lot of his testing numbers, too,” Peters said. “But just really the way he moves. Just great feet, great lower body structure, great bend, and just super talented for a big man.”
Conerly also held his own against the top edge rushers in the draft class last year, such as Abdul Carter. Against Carter and Penn State in the Big Ten Championship game, Conerly allowed zero pressures on 35 pass blocker snaps. From one elite Penn State edge rusher to another, Conerly now faces the “final boss” in Micah Parsons.
His athletic skills and movement make for an interesting chess match between the rookie and Parsons. Parsons should give Conerly all he can handle, but it’ll be fun to see how he fares against Parsons and the many pass rushers Dallas can throw at him, that also includes fellow rookie Donovan Ezeiruaku. While Conerly hasn’t been named the starter yet, one should expect him to overtake veteran Charles Wylie sometime over the summer at right tackle.
