Commanders updated depth chart prior to the start of 2024 training camp

Rookies, veterans and the start of camp

Rookies report to Ashburn today, which should mean a lot of pictures of them walking into the building but not much else. They will have a few days with the coaching staff to prepare before veterans report on Tuesday. The first full-team on-field practice of camp will be on Wednesday, 24 July.

It seems like a good time to take another look at the 91-man roster in the form of a depth chart.

UPDATED DEPTH CHART

The numbers that appear beside some players’ names are 2024 cap hits per Over the Cap.

Please note that assigned positions and color coding are my own personal opinions. They do not necessarily represent the thinking of Washington’s coaches or front office, nor are they necessarily consistent with fan consensus. This chart represents my personal interpretation, and may not reflect the thoughts of other writers on Hogs Haven. Finally, when it comes to backup players, I don’t put much effort into making sure that they are on the right or left or behind the specific player that they backup. I mostly just try to fit everyone on the chart efficiently.

There hasn’t been much change since the end of April, when I published the last version of the depth chart. Since that time, the following roster changes have occurred:

• QB Jake Fromm was released
• WR Damiere Byrd was signed
• K Brandon McManus was released
• K Ramiz Ahmed was signed

The release of Fromm was no great surprise, and still leaves the team with 4 quarterbacks going into camp. Media reports have indicated that Sam Hartman appears to be favored over Jeff Driskel as the #3 guy behind the two obvious roster locks, rookie Jayden Daniels and veteran Marcus Mariota.

Eight-year veteran receiver Damiere Byrd has only a single season with more than 32 catches or 359 yards and hasn’t caught a pass for positive yards in an NFL game since Week 16 of the 2022 season. He spent the 2019 season in Arizona with Kliff Kingsbury, but the 31 years old, standing 5’9” and 175 pounds seems like a very long shot to make the Commanders roster unless he can demonstrate some exceptional skills as a kick/punt returner.

When kicker Brandon McManus showed up in the headlines for the wrong reasons in early June, the Commanders released him, replacing him with a former UFL kicker, Ramiz Ahmed, who seems to be the training camp kicker by default. There are a number of NFL teams who will have two kickers in camp, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Washington sign a veteran NFL kicker who is released by another team at the end of preseason unless Ahmed impresses over the next several weeks.

Lots of roster questions

With a brand new GM and coaching staff, questions abound about this roster.

Will Quan Martin be able to relegate Darrick Forrest, who played very well prior to a shoulder injury last year, to a backup role?

Can Emmanuel Forbes earn his way back onto the field with the new coaching staff? As a first-round pick in 2023, Forbes has over $6m in salary guarantees remaining, and he would leave behind a $12.6m dead cap hit if he were to be waived. It feels as if the coaching staff has no good option other than to work with him and hope for the best.

Likewise, 2021 first-round pick Jamin Davis has a $4.4m cap number for the final year of his rookie contract that would turn into dead money if he were to be waived.

On the defensive line, Washington’s 2022 second-round pick has a bit less financial protection. If Phil Mathis doesn’t make the team, which seems possible with Payne, Allen, John Ridgeway, and rookie 2nd round pick Johnny Newton all appearing to be strongly positioned, it would trigger a dead cap hit of only about $1.4m, and would result in a net increase in available cap space. Of course, there’s no guarantee that the rookie Newton, who had foot surgery in May, will be ready to play by the time the season starts. It seems likely that he will be placed on the PUP (physically unable to perform) or NFI (non-football injury) list this week (drafted players who were injured prior to being drafted can be put on the NFI list), and we simply don’t know yet how soon he will be able to practice or play.

JOHNNY NEWTON UPDATE (19 JULY 24):

At tight end, Zach Ertz seems likely to open the season as the #1 option, but he has been healthy for only half the games over the past two seasons; can the Commanders count on him to play a full slate of games in ‘24? Even if he stays healthy, how good will he be on the field? The 33-yr-old has seen his yards per reception number fall from double digits to 8.6 in 2022 and a meager 6.9 in 2023. With so many questions about durability and productivity surrounding Ertz, will the team keep 4 tight ends on the roster? And if they do, will the final spot go to Armani Rogers, Cole Turner or Colson Yankoff?

There are fewer questions about QB and RB, and Terry McLaurin is the clear leader among the wide receivers, but the offensive line is — once again — a cause for much head-scratching among fans and media observers.

The choice at starting left tackle seems to come down to veteran backup Cornelius Lucas and rookie 3rd-round pick Brandon Coleman.

Andrew Wylie appears to be the only real option at right tackle, and the left guard position is once again appears to be a pot-luck option heading in to camp, with veteran backup Nick Allegretti the presumptive #1 heading into camp, with a number of other players offering alternatives, each with their own question marks. Among these is Ricky Stromberg, a 3rd round pick a year ago who was limited to just 26 offensive snaps before a knee injury ended his rookie season. While Stromberg played center in college, he was also training at guard last year prior to his injury.

Answers in 40 days

Every NFL team needs to reduce its roster to a maximum of 53 players by 4pm on August 27th, so we are just 40 days away from having all (or nearly all) the answers to these roster questions.