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The Washington Commanders badly needed cornerback depth ahead of the 2022 NFL season. When the Buffalo Bills waived cornerback Rachad Wildgoose during final cuts, the Commanders pounced, claiming Wildgoose and adding him to the 53-man roster ahead of Week 1.
Wildgoose initially played special teams during the season’s first two weeks. In Week 3 against Philadelphia, Wildgoose played 48 snaps on defense. After playing primarily on special teams again in Week 4 at Dallas, Wildgoose would receive a more prominent role on defense beginning in Week 5.
Over the next three games, Wildgoose played in the slot for Washington, and he played well. Wildgoose played no less than 52% of Washington’s defensive snaps for those three weeks.
Unfortunately, in a Week 8 win at Indianapolis, Wildgoose struggled. From that moment forward, the Commanders turned to Danny Johnson, and Wildgoose would play just two defensive snaps for the remainder of the season.
But should Wildgoose have been permanently benched on defense?
Wildgoose is 22 and did some good things at a difficult position. For a team needing cornerback help, Wildgoose is worth another look. The bad news is the Commanders used their first two picks on defensive backs in Emmanuel Forbes and Quan Martin.
How good was Wildgoose in his limited chances last season?
According to Pro Football Focus, Wildgoose was ranked No. 2 in the NFL passer rating allowed by a slot corner in 2022.
The player had to have 100 or more coverage snaps when in the slot to qualify.
Here’s PFF’s assessment of Wildgoose last season:
- NFL passer rating allowed: 56.5
- Slot coverage snaps: 114
The former sixth-round selection has played sparingly to this point in his young NFL career. Last season, he saw his most work, manning the slot role at times for the Commanders. Though he only started in three games, Wildgoose showed some flashes.
He had a two-week stretch against Tennessee and Chicago where he posted back-to-back 79.9 and 77.7 coverage grades. In those outings, Wildgoose was targeted three times and allowed just one catch for 10 yards while breaking up a pass. On just 196 total snaps, Wildgoose allowed under 100 yards and zero touchdowns in his first season with actual playing time.
Washington has three locks at cornerback: Kendall Fuller, Benjamin St-Juste and Forbes. Johnson is close to a lock as well, as he was an unsung hero for Washington’s defense in 2022. Martin can play corner or slot; regardless, he’s a lock, which leaves the Commanders potentially keeping one more cornerback.
Wildgoose has a battle to make Washington’s roster in 2023. He’s likely competing with Christian Holmes and Tariq Castro-Fields for one spot. Don’t count Wildgoose out.