Category: 2022 NFL Season

Comparing Commanders rosters from 2021 and 2022

Comparing Washington’s 2022 roster to the 2021 version.

Looking at the 53-man roster, have the Commanders made progress from the 2021 season?

Of course, we can’t ultimately be certain because games have never been played on paper. A quick look at the 2021 and 2022 rosters does reveal a few significant differences. Remember, there is also a 16-man practice squad enabling teams to bring up a player on short notice in the event of injury.

Quarterback

Gone from 2021 are Ryan Fitzpatrick and Kyle Allen. Taylor Heinicke remains and the additions made are Carson Wentz and Sam Howell. Wentz brings six seasons of starting experience, and Heinicke gained 16 games of NFL experience in 2021.

Running Back

Antonio Gibson, J D McKissic and Jonathan Williams return, with the big addition being expected starter Brian Robinson Jr, the 2022 third-round selection. Robinson is out at least the first four weeks, recovering from a car jacking and gunshot wounds.

Offensive Line

Washington must replace both starting guards, Brandon Scherff and Ereck Flowers. New guards in 2022 are Andrew Norwell, Trai Turner and rookie Chris Paul. Tackles returning are Charles Leno, Sam Cosmi and Cornelius Lucas. Chase Roullier, Saahdiq Charles and Wes Schweitzer also return.

Wide Receiver

Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel, Cam Sims, Dyami Brown and Dax Milne return. Gone are DeAndre Carter and Adam Humphries. First-round draft selection Jahan Dotson is new to the position group.

Tight End

Logan Thomas and John Bates return. Ricky Seals-Jones departed via free agency. Free agent Armani Rogers and fifth-round draft choice Cole Turner are new additions.

Defensive Line

Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne, Montez Sweat, James Smith-Williams, Casey Toohill, Daniel Wise and Shaka Toney all return. Chase Young is recovering from an ACL tear and will be out for at least the first four games. Free agent Efe Obada and second-round draft choice Phidarian Mathis are new additions. Gone are reliable defensive tackles Tim Settle and Matt Ioannidis.

Linebacker

Cole Holcomb, Jamin Davis, David Mayo and Jon Bostic return. Gone are De’Jon Harris, Jordan Kunaszyk and Jared Norris who appeared in 2021. Milo Eifler returns, having appeared in 3 games on special teams last year, taking no defensive snaps.

Cornerback

Kendall Fuller, William Jackson III and Benjamin St-Juste return from the 2021 squad. While seventh-round draft choice Christian Holmes and waiver-wire pickups Tariq Castro-Fields and Rachad Wildgoose are 2022 additions. Corn Elder, Danny Johnson and Darryl Roberts all took snaps in 2021, but are not on the roster. Troy Apke was on the 2021 roster, playing special teams.

Safety

Kamren Curl, Darrick Forrest, Bobby McCain and Jeremy Reaves return to the 2022 safety group. Gone are Landon Collins and Deshazor Everett. Fourth-round draft choice Percy Butler joins the position group in 2022.

Specialists

Cameron Cheeseman (long snapper), Tress Way (Punter) and Joey Slye (Kicker) all return. Dustin Hopkins, Chris Blewitt and Brian Johnson each took their turns kicking in 2021 but do not return.

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Where does ESPN fantasy expert rank Commanders’ offensive and defensive units?

An ESPN expert recently ranked each of Washington’s position groups. There’s hope in 2022, but lots to prove.

We are only days away from the beginning of the 2022 NFL season when the Buffalo Bills take on the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams on Thursday Night Football.

For fantasy football fans, you have a few more days to draft the perfect team.

Mike Clay of ESPN is one of the NFL’s best prognosticators and does an excellent job evaluating all 32 NFL teams and players. Clay ranks each team’s positional units from 1-32 and also projects stats for the upcoming season for players from quarterbacks to punters.

Clay recently ranked the offensive and defensive unit rankings by team as a part of his 2022 preview. Where does Clay rank the Washington Commanders?

In his power rankings, Clay has the Commanders ranked No. 20, offering the following analysis:

Washington is another interesting sleeper team, as there is plenty of talent here but also a lot of questions. Wentz is an upgrade at QB, but will things fall through like they did in Indianapolis? He’ll be set up well behind a good offensive line and a skill-position group led by Terry McLaurin and first-round rookie Jahan Dotson. The defensive line remains elite on paper, but Chase Young’s torn ACL will cost him at least a month. A bounce-back campaign from William Jackson III would go a long way in the secondary.

That’s a very fair and balanced take from Clay. He acknowledges Washington’s potential while reminding everyone of its question marks. So much of the Commanders’ upcoming season rely on the right arm of Wentz.

Where does Clay rank Washington’s offensive units?

He ranks Washington’s offensive units at No. 17, with the following ranking for each positional group:

  • Quarterback: No. 20
  • Running back: No. 15
  • Wide receiver: No. 17
  • Tight end: No. 23
  • Offensive line: No. 6

It may appear Clay is sleeping a bit on Washington’s wide receivers. But, when you consider Curtis Samuel has yet to make one impactful play as a Commander and Jahan Dotson is a rookie, the ranking makes sense. It’s all about potential right now, not production.

As for tight end, on paper, it is fair. However, Logan Thomas appears healthy and ready for a return early in the 2022 season, and young tight ends Cole Turner and Armani Rogers could be breakout candidates.

Clay remains high on Washington’s offensive line despite losing guard Brandon Scherff. Over the past two seasons, there were questions about the offensive line ahead of the season, but offensive line coach John Matsko had the group among the best in the league by the end of the season. There are no reasons to think that changes in 2022.

Where did Clay rank Washington’s defensive units? Overall, Clay has the Commanders ranked at No. 13. Here’s how the positional units shake out:

  • Defensive interior: No. 2
  • Edge: No. 11
  • Linebacker: No. 20
  • Cornerback: No. 17
  • Safety: No. 21

Again, Clay’s rankings here are fair. You could make an argument that he ranked the linebackers too high. The safeties are about right, but young players such as Kam Curl, Darrick Forrest and Percy Butler offer hope.

What did you think about Clay’s projections and rankings for Washington?

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Should the Commanders pursue former Giants linebacker Blake Martinez?

The 28-year-old Martinez is a six-year starter.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. That’s true as it concerns the Washington Commanders, who brought back former starting linebacker Jon Bostic last week to provide depth behind Cole Holcomb in 2022.

Bostic is a respected veteran who his coaches and teammates love. He knows the defense and will understand his role as a backup.

However, that still means you are one play away from Bostic as Washington’s starting mike linebacker, and we’ve been down that road before.

There is an upgrade on the free-agent market if the Commanders are interested — and they should know him well. The New York Giants released veteran linebacker Blake Martinez last week. It was determined to be a mutual decision, with some citing Martinez’s fit in the defense and his salary as the primary reasons for his departure.

Martinez, 28, is a six-year NFL veteran that has played in 80 career games, with 76 starts. He tied for the NFL lead in tackles in 2017. Martinez was a four-year starter with the Packers before signing as a free agent with the Giants in 2020. He played in only three games last season after tearing his ACL in Week 3.

Martinez figures to have some interest from around the NFL after Week 1.

One would think the Commanders make perfect sense, right? Martinez represents an upgrade from Bostic and the rest of Washington’s reserve linebackers. The problem is would Martinez want to sign with the Commanders knowing he’d be a backup behind Holcomb?

Washington is committed to Holcomb as the starting mike linebacker for 2022. Second-year pro Jamin Davis will start on the outside. The Commanders, like most NFL teams, play in a lot of nickel packages where there are often only two linebackers on the field.

Martinez would likely want to wait to see if there are any starting opportunities for him. The problem is most teams have their starters. At this point, Martinez may want to sit out and wait for a team who lost a starting middle linebacker to injury.

Martinez is similar to Bostic in the sense that pass coverage isn’t his strength. Bostic knows and understands his role in Washington is to be a backup. Martinez feels he should still be starting, and rightfully so.

While it makes sense on paper for the Commanders to pursue Martinez, it appears unlikely. The two sides would have different ideas about what his role would be in 2022.

Martinez is not starting over Holcomb. Holcomb isn’t an All-Pro linebacker, but his continued growth throughout each of his first three seasons is an encouraging sign.

So, for now, it’s hard to envision Washington and Martinez working together, but that doesn’t mean the Commanders shouldn’t try.

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Where do NFL executives rank the Commanders in the NFC?

NFL executives don’t see the Commanders as a playoff team.

The Washington Commanders went 7-10 in 2021 with Taylor Heinicke as the starting quarterback. Heinicke had some good moments, but over the course of the season, his decision-making and lack of arm strength exposed him as a possible long-term starting quarterback.

Finding a long-term starting quarterback was Washington’s primary offseason goal, which led them to Carson Wentz. Many have ridiculed the trade, but the Commanders believe Wentz is a perfect fit.

Washington believes Wentz is worth a few more wins, and its defense will improve in 2022. In addition, the Commanders play a lighter schedule than in 2021 in a division that is wide open.

How do NFL executives view Washington in the NFC? The Athletic recently polled five executives from around the NFL to rank the 16 NFC teams. The Commanders came in at No. 11.

One executive had Washington as high as No. 6.

Washington went 7-10 last season with Taylor Heinicke as its primary starting quarterback. Do the Commanders win a couple more games with Carson Wentz to finish above .500? It’s not such a stretch, especially for a team facing a weak schedule of opposing quarterbacks.

“They are the tortoise in the race, and they will just be there at the end,” the voter who placed Washington sixth in the NFC said. “The coordinator (Scott Turner) and the scheme in Washington fit Wentz’s talents better, and I don’t think Wentz feels he has to carry the team. My concern is, when does Chase Young come back, and then will he be Chase Young?”

Another exec expanded on the point about Wentz and the offensive scheme in Washington.

“Wentz will probably do OK in Washington because they are going to play-action, throw those deep comebackers, let him throw the ball down the field,” this exec said. “But if Carson has to read it and really work the offense, he is not very good.”

There are certainly some encouraging nuggets there. Some just assume Wentz will fail because of his previous two seasons, ignoring that Wentz was an MVP candidate at one time.

The Commanders play a much more favorable schedule in 2022. Will that be enough to get them into playoff contention in 2022?

Commanders offensive line getting healthy at the perfect time

Washington’s offensive line is finally healthy.

Until this week, the Washington Commanders haven’t had their projected offensive line together on the field at the same time. Throughout training camp and the first two weeks of the preseason,  all but right tackle Sam Cosmi has missed a portion of camp with an injury.

Guard Trai Turner missed all of camp until this week. Head coach Ron Rivera stated that if this were the regular season, Turner would likely be practicing, but there was no need. Guard Andrew Norwell missed some time over the past week after a dominant performance in Washington’s first preseason game.

Center Chase Roullier began camp on the physically unable to perform list but has slowly worked his way into the lineup and started in last week’s preseason game at Kansas City.

Left tackle Charles Leno Jr. missed last week’s game but is back. Then, top reserves, tackle Cornelius Lucas and guard/center Wes Schweitzer also missed time.

All are back now, just as the Commanders wrap up the preseason against the Ravens on Saturday. It’s unknown which players will suit up on Saturday. Rivera did say starters would play on a “very limited” basis.

While it has been difficult for Rivera and the offensive staff, it has given young players like rookie Chris Paul and third-year pro Saahdiq Charles valuable practice and playing experience.

Rivera praised some of Washington’s young offensive linemen this summer, including Charles, on Thursday.

“Saahdiq’s had a pretty good camp,” Rivera said. “It’s a lot to ask a guy to work all three of those positions, but he’s done a nice job at it. And position flex for a guy is important, and he’s still a young guy, still developing and growing. But the more he knows, I think the better it’ll help him in his game.”

Charles, who played left tackle at LSU, has played tackle and guard in the NFL. That type of versatility makes him valuable, especially on game days.

Over the past two years, Washington began each season with questions about the offensive line. However, by the end of the season, they were ranked among the top 10 offensive lines in the NFL. Offensive line coach John Matsko is one of the best, and Washington’s depth each season contributed to the group’s success.

Barring catastrophic injuries, expect Washington’s offensive line to be a team strength in 2022.

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Commanders Casey Toohill trying to do his job

Casey Toohill took advantage of his opportunities last season.

Next man up, Casey Toohill.

With Chase Young and Montez Sweat being limited to starting 9 and 10 games respectively in 2021, Casey Toohill and James-Smith Williams were each suddenly called upon to start 6 games.

Toohill came to Washington one day after he was released by NFC rival Philadelphia in 2020.

“I remember my first practice just getting tossed around and being like, I really just need to make my practice better. I need to have better habits. I need to spend more time outside of the building and then things should be better from there.”

Some of the defensive players have chided the offensive players when getting the best of the scrimmaging. But Toohill has noticeably not always been vocal. “That’s just not my style. You know, I do every once and a while. I think if you ask guys, they will say I can definitely be loud every once and a while. But yeah, in practice I just try to focus, feed off the energy.”

2020 was the last season Carson Wentz was with the Eagles. Toohill and Wentz overlapped briefly, with Toohill being released October 13. “I was there four or five games and the summer, so yeah, I overlapped with him. Really enjoyed meeting him there. He was nice to be from day one. I was a seventh-round pick, he had no reason to be but he was always kind to me which I appreciated.”

Chase Young’s sudden and terrible 2021 injury was Toohill’s sudden opportunity to contribute on the defense. “You never ever want to see someone get hurt or hurt severely. So obviously I wasn’t happy that Chase got hurt. It was very unfortunate to see. He’s a great player and a great friend, so I hated to see that, but yeah it was an opportunity.”

Toohill is learning more of the intricacies of the NFL entering his third season.

“I just think every year that I’ve played it’s become more about the details…  I remember after my first season I was like, I have to get a lot bigger. I have to get a lot stronger. Then last year, it was the minute details of my job. Hand placement, footwork, certain little pass rush things, the very small things that I thought could make a big difference in the end.”

When Toohill first came to Washington in 2020, one of his teammates was veteran Ryan Kerrigan, in his last season with Washington. Now this season, Kerrigan is a part-time coach, shadowing the coaches, and helping at times with the players.

“It’s been awesome. You know, it’s funny because I got here when he was still here, and I remember he introduced himself to me and I was like man I know who you are. I watched your film in high school class. That was awesome then. So helpful then.  I love working with him. He’s got a great mind set and it’s been a great pleasure.”

Next up for Washington is the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday. In defeating the Arizona Cardinals Sunday, the Ravens extended the NFL’s consecutive record streak of preseason wins to 22. But Toohill knows what is important and what is not.

“I mean, you always want to win. That’s always the goal. But that doesn’t really change our focus. We want to go out there. We want to execute better. We want to play hard. Do our job, so that’s the focus.”

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Commanders Carson Wentz, the pressure, and NFC East quarterbacks

Which NFC East quarterback is under the most pressure in 2022?

Which NFC East quarterback is under the most pressure?

NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” discussed the question for a segment Monday morning. Of course, to no one’s surprise, the four panelists all chose a different quarterback (Dak Prescott, Carson Wentz, Jalen Hurts, Daniel Jones) and then supplied their reasoning.

Tom Pelissero, in his reasoning, offered this opinion regarding Washington’s Carson Wentz.

“If we are talking pressure, I have a hard time saying it is anybody other than Carson Wentz. When you are in your third stop in three years, and we know the way things ended in Philadelphia, we know the way things ended in Indianapolis. Then, before you have even played a game, you do an interview where somebody is trying to get under your skin, asking really poorly worded questions. The team president has to get on Twitter and fight over the reporter and threaten access if you are covering/asking questions like that, and he gets in a spat?”

“First of all, this only happens in Washington. Secondly, it only happens surrounding Carson Wentz. There is just this drama that follows him. Carson Wentz, last year, everybody loses sight of the fact that he played pretty well. Set aside those last two games–which, of course, you can’t. Terrible against the Raiders after missing the week with COVID. Terrible the next week against the Jaguars; the whole team played badly against Jacksonville.”

“But those previous 15 games? He was pretty good. He had one or two plays in the game where he was throwing a left-handed interception out of his end zone for no particular reason. But you look at the stats; you look at the tape. He made a lot of plays. This is a good quarterback.”

But you’ve got to be able to calm everything else down around him, and you know the other part of this. The reality of the NFL is that the moment the quarterback who is under pressure and has that drama surrounding them has a bad game or has a bad play, it swells up from underneath.”

“You start to hear about, ‘Why don’t they play Sam Howell?’ Why don’t they play Heinicke?’ They are going to have to deal with that if he does not come out firing. I know that Scott Turner is going to get the absolute maximum out of Carson Wentz. Is that good enough? Can he avoid all of those pitfalls to live up to that pressure this year? That is my question.”

 

Pete Carroll says Russell Wilson not leaving Seattle

Pete Carroll said Russell Wilson was going nowhere this offseason.

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Washington Commanders’ fans can scratch another one off of their list. The Seattle Seahawks are NOT trading Russell Wilson during this 2022 offseason.

Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, having departed from the podium at the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, was approached and asked regarding all of the talk for the last month of his star QB Russell Wilson being traded.

“What (Seattle GM) John (Schneider) says is, ‘We’re not shopping the quarterback.’ That’s what he tells them,” Carroll said.

One year ago, Russell Wilson on the Dan Patrick Show, spoke candidly about his being on track to be sacked the most in NFL history, that he would like to have more input on personnel decisions, and the sack numbers are an aspect of his legacy he would like to alter.

Also in the 2021 offseason, Wilson’s agent declared Wilson would like to be traded to the Bears, Raiders, Cowboys, or Saints. Perhaps that is the reason so many have “assumed” there was talk behind the scenes between Wilson and the Seahawks of a trade this offseason.

However, this offseason we have seen Wilson calmly assert he hopes to end his career in Seattle. Wide receiver Tyler Lockett also confidently assured ESPN’s Dianna Russini that Wilson was not being traded.

Wednesday, Carroll was emphatic that the Seahawks have “no intention” of trading the ten-year veteran who led the team to its only Super Bowl championship in the 2013 season, only his second in the NFL.

Wilson grew up in Richmond, has mentioned family and friends in Richmond; consequently, Washington fans (and press) hoped the Commanders could pull off a trade for Wilson.

Where are the Commanders in ESPN’s early 2022 NFL power rankings?

No surprises at the top. Where is Washington?

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Immediately after the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 to win-win Super Bowl LVI, it was time to turn the page to the 2022 NFL season.

ESPN took a quick look at the 2022 season, offering very early power rankings. There were no surprises at the top with the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, Rams, Green Bay Packers and Bengals rounding out the top five.

What do those five teams have in common? A franchise quarterback. When you have a franchise passer in place, you don’t worry too much about how the offseason can change your roster because that quarterback will keep you among the best in the NFL. ESPN’s rankings assume that Aaron Rodgers will return in 2022, of course.

For a team like the Washington Commanders, there’s a lot of uncertainty because no one knows who will be under center next fall. ESPN’s ranking of Washington at No. 25 reflects that uncertainty.

2021 record: 7-10

Offseason in three or fewer words: Another QB search

Washington has started 32 quarterbacks since it last won the Super Bowl after the 1991 season — and eight passers in the past three years. While the Commanders like Taylor Heinicke as a high-end backup, they’re definitely searching for “The Guy” this offseason. Since Kirk Cousins left after the 2017 season, Washington has the NFL’s worst total QBR (36.7). In Ron Rivera’s first two seasons as coach the team is 30th (35.3). Washington will pursue the big names who might be available, but it will be difficult to not only get teams to agree to a trade, but then to have quarterbacks such as Russell Wilson or Watson waive no-trade clauses to come here. — John Keim

Washington will take big swings at the quarterback position for players like Wilson and Watson, but the odds are against either happening for the Commanders. Instead, it could look to trade for Jimmy Garoppolo, or sign a lesser free agent like Mitchell Trubisky and also draft a passer high in the 2022 NFL draft.

Either way, Washington remains in quarterback purgatory and until there’s a solution, there isn’t a lot of hope amongst fans for a big leap in 2022.