The Washington secondary was terrible in Week 1. The Commanders allowed Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield to complete 80% of his passes and throw four touchdowns.
Throughout the week, players and coaches believe communication breakdowns led to several big plays. For the team’s fans, that’s not encouraging, considering how the prior regime dealt with communication breakdowns in the secondary on a seemingly weekly basis.
Pro Football Focus gave three members of Washington’s secondary their lowest defensive grades for last Sunday’s game. One of those players, cornerback Emmanuel Forbes, will miss the Week 2 game against the New York Giants after undergoing thumb surgery Friday.
On Friday, the Commanders received more potential bad news when free safety Quan Martin was limited with a hamstring injury. Washington listed him as questionable for Sunday.
Martin didn’t have a great game in Week 1, but he did have an excellent summer and showed promise as a rookie. How much worse would the Commanders’ secondary be if Martin is out? Washington doesn’t have one corner who can match up with Giants rookie Malik Nabers one-on-one. So, Martin’s presence could be critical in limiting Nabers.
If Martin can’t go, Percy Butler would start in his place. Butler played well last week, and the coaches seem to be high on him. However, Martin is the starter for a reason. He’s versatile. Washington can move him around the secondary; he has a high football IQ and tackles well.
Hamstring injuries can often linger for weeks. That would be a tough blow for a Washington secondary that already has its share of issues.