A tough day for Commanders CB Benjamin St-Juste

St-Juste made an impact, but not how he wanted.

The Washington Commanders couldn’t wait to activate cornerback Marshon Lattimore. Acquired last month at the NFL trade deadline, Lattimore did not play in his first four games after the trade due to a preexisting hamstring injury.

Two weeks ago, anticipating Lattimore’s return, the Commanders waived 2023 first-round pick Emmanuel Forbes. Forbes, who struggled badly as a rookie, looked bad in Washington’s Week 1 game against Tampa Bay, and it was clear that the new regime of general manager Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn had already seen enough.

The Commanders mainly used a cornerback rotation of rookie Mike Sainristil, Noah Igbinoghene, and Benjamin St-Juste throughout the season because there was little depth. St-Juste struggled, both in coverage and with penalties.

So, upon Lattimore’s Week 15 return, Lattimore took St-Juste’s place in the starting lineup while Sainristil and Igbinoghene continued in their respective roles.

Here’s the snap count for Washington’s cornerback in Lattimore’s first game:

  • Marshon Lattimore: 53/55 (96%)
  • Mike Sainristil: 50/55 (91%)
  • Noah Igbinoghene: 38/55 (69%)
  • Benjamin St-Juste: 3/55 (5%)

Lattimore was not on a pitch count during his first game, which is excellent news for Washington.

As for St-Juste, it’s clear he played so much early in the season because the Commanders had nowhere else to turn. The only positive was they deemed him a much better option than Forbes. With Lattimore back and Sainristil improving each week, St-Juste’s best path toward playing time is taking snaps from Igbinoghene, but that’s unlikely as he’s played well, too.

Let’s review St-Juste’s snaps on Sunday. He played just three defensive snaps and committed a costly penalty on one of those three snaps, wiping out a Dorance Armstrong sack and nine-yard loss. St-Juste was called for illegal use of hands. Had St-Juste not been called for the penalty, New Orleans would’ve faced a fourth-and-17 from its 17-yard line.

The Saints would eventually kick a field goal, meaning St-Juste’s penalty cost Washington three points.

This was one of many costly mistakes made by the Commanders on Sunday.

Peters and Quinn continue to find their guys. St-Juste is a free agent after the season and will likely play elsewhere next season. The three snaps were a career-low outside of two games during his rookie season, where he did not play on defense, only playing on special teams. He’s been a regular starter over the last three seasons.