Commanders bring back one from injured reserve

Commanders make some roster moves, including bringing back a player from IR.

The Washington Commanders made some roster moves on Saturday ahead of Sunday’s Week 5 game against the Cleveland Browns. The biggest move on Saturday was the Commanders bringing back Marcus Mariota.

Mariota was placed on the injured reserve list and missed the first four games due to two injuries he suffered in training camp. First, he tweaked a groin muscle, but then he suddenly missed a practice due to a pectoral injury and was placed on the IR list.

Also announced Saturday afternoon were two elevations from the Practice Squad: CB Kevon Seymour and WR Brycen Tremayne from the practice squad.

Tremayne’s elevation at this time is not a surprise. WR Noah Brown injured his groin and could not practice, and Dan Quinn declared him “out.” In addition, Jamison Crowder, with his injured calf, was placed on the injured reserve list this week, meaning Crowder will miss four games. Thus, the Commanders needed to elevate a receiver.

Seymour is perhaps being elevated because it appears that safety Tyler Owens will most likely not play against the Browns for now. He has an injured shin and has missed practice, and the Commanders may, therefore, activate safety Darrick Forrest, who has been inactive the first four games.

There has been growing hope that defensive end Efe Obada and rookie linebacker Jordan Magee will return from the injured list to the active roster. But it appears that those two players will have to wait another week.

One final question for this week. With the Commanders activating Mariota, will they keep four quarterbacks on their roster (including Sam Hartman)? Or will they make another roster move involving Hartman?

Some surprising Commanders raise questions

Some success stories this summer raise questions.

With one final preseason game to go, some roster spots will be settled against the Patriots on Sunday.

There have been some disappointments for the Commanders but also some pleasant surprises thus far.

Did any of us expect Dyami Brown to be passing Jahan Dotson in training camp? Probably not anyone saw that coming. Did you notice Jayden Daniels went to Brown twice early on the first drive against the Dolphins?

Speaking of Daniels, he has certainly been better than expected, and don’t forget Jeff Driskel. He has made enough plays in the first two games; he raises the question, would they keep him now?

I was certain that Chris Rodriguez would be the third running back. He ran really hard last season and was physical. But Michael Wiley has looked good enough both weeks that he has me wondering: Might he be the third running back?

Jamin Davis has made plays learning a new position. And this isn’t simply a different linebacker position. No, he is down on the edge doing battle every snap against huge offensive tackles. That is quite a transition, and he only weighs 234. Has he done enough?

Tyler Owens was an undrafted safety who had transferred from Texas and made the CFP to Texas Tech. He has grabbed the attention of viewers in both preseason weeks. There is depth at safety. So, if Owens makes the roster, whom does he replace?

Olamide Zaccheaus was brought here simply to be a camp route runner for the reps and preseason games. At least, that was what I thought in April. He had a 19-yard punt return and a nice reception negated by a penalty, no fault of his. Might he be a receiver/punt returner on opening day?

When camp began, I thought Tariq Catro-Fields was gone. But he played some good man coverage last week, which made me wonder if some good coverage against the Patriots might get him a spot.

That was Colson Yankoff you might have noticed really hustling on some special teams efforts against the Dolphins. He is only 225 at tight end, but could his special teams efforts be the deciding factor for him?

 

Some Commanders’ bright spots against the Jets

We look at some of the Commanders’ bright spots vs. the Jets.

The Commanders lost to the Jets on Saturday, 20-17, at MetLife Stadium.

However, what were some of the bright spots?

Jeff Driskel

Third quarterback Jeff Driskel made some nice plays, passing and running. He completed 7 of 15 passes for 87 yards, with a 16-yard run. Was Driskel the second-best quarterback for Washington on Saturday?

Ben Sinnott

Rookie tight end Ben Sinnott and Driskel hooked up for the longest gain on Saturday. It was a 44-yard pass, and Sinnott demonstrated that he might be a tough ball carrier to bring down in the regular season. Sinnott finished with three receptions on three targets for 57 yards.

Jamin Davis

Jamin Davis knew he needed to make some plays. When he first entered the game, he made two stops on running plays, with the runs totaling only three yards. He displayed quickness and energy on the edge. There was one play where he decided to battle OT (Fashanu) and did not seal the edge, resulting in a 24-yard run.

Dyami Brown

Dyami Brown was covered well, yet he made a nice catch for a 42-yard gain. Later, Brown made another nice catch for 13 yards from Driskel. Brown is in his fourth year and the first three have been disappointments. This was a good start for him today if he is to make this team in 2024.

Cole Turner/John Bates

Did you see tight end Cole Turner on Daniels’ touchdown run? Turner lined up on the right side and drove his man to the back of the end zone. Tight end John Bates also took care of his man. Daniels was able to jog in for the score because these two did such a good job on the play.

Tyler Owens

Punt return coverage is a place where players can make an impression with their hustle and or a tackle. Such was the case today for undrafted safety Tyler Owens (Texas Tech). He is 6-foot-2, 213 pounds.

Tress Way

Also, there was a punt return that started right; the returner then reversed his field all the way left, and there was Tress Way. He came up and made the nice, clean tackle. I noticed the bench really reacted to Way’s tackle/effort. Don’t you know the coaches loved that as well when an older punter is hustling?