Final Commanders 53-Man Roster Projection After Preseason Finale

Washington’s final 53-man roster is coming into focus after the preseason finale, with several key changes at offensive line, defensive tackle and safety before Sunday’s cutdown deadline.

Aug 28, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis (16) looks down the field during the first half, against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After several months of offseason programs, the draft, free agency, training camp, and now preseason, the Washington Commanders have preached competitiveness. That said, the competition for the middle to bottom of the 91-man roster came to a close last night in Baltimore. Now it's on head coach Dan Quinn and GM Adam Peters to sort through the film from the long list of players and put together a 53-man roster to play the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1.

Below is our final projection of what that roster will look like. The final 53-man roster likely won't stay that way long, as the team will watch the waiver wire as other teams cut players who may be a better fit. Roster projection 3.0 was published last weekend following the Detroit Lions preseason game, but several developments since then have changed the picture.

Quarterback (3)

Jayden Daniels, Marcus Mariota, Athan Kaliakmanis

With questions still around about Marcus Mariota's knee, the team would not be smart to cut rookie Athan Kaliakmanis. He's shown enough this preseason that he may not survive the waiver wire without someone else adding him to their active roster.

#Commanders QB Athan Kaliakmanis (The Greek Rifle) All-22 vs the Lions

• 11 for 14 passing (79%)
• 162 pass yds
• 114.9 RTG
• 92.4 PFF grade #RaiseHail pic.twitter.com/j0tXnFAMNT

— brandon (@JayDanielsMVP) August 23, 2026

Running Back (3)

Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Rachaad White, Kaytron Allen

Keeping four was generally the idea for most of the summer until Jeremy McNichols missed several weeks with an injured quad. The idea here is that Washington could release McNichols and bring him back on the practice squad if both sides want to continue together. The team would also like to stash rookie Robert Henry Jr. on the PS, if possible. With all he showed in the preseason opener against the Dolphins, he may not.

Wide Receiver (7)

Terry McLaurin, Stefon Diggs, Antonio Williams, Luke McCaffrey, Treylon Burks, Jaylin Lane, Dyami Brown

No big surprises here, as rookie Antonio Williams came on strong over the last few weeks and solidified his place as WR3. Dyami Brown could be viewed as trade bait, but for the time being has done enough to make the roster. You could make an argument for undrafted rookie Jaden Bradley, but unfortunately those spots at the bottom of the roster come at a premium, and his fumble last night came at a bad time.

TRENDING: Antonio Williams embarrassed TWO of the NFL’s top coverage DB’s today.

Both Nate Wiggins (Ravens CB) and Kyle Hamilton (Ravens S) reportedly “couldn’t guard” Williams.

One NFL scout reportedly believes “there’s some” Amon-Ra St. Brown to Williams’ game 😳

(Via… pic.twitter.com/nKDXP53PXu

— Rookie Watch (@RookieWatxh) August 26, 2026

Tight End (4)

Chig Okonkwo, John Bates, Ben Sinnott, Colson Yankoff

Lawrence Cager made things interesting with the TE4 competition in camp, but Colson Yankoff showed he's put in the work and improved since last season.

Offensive Line (9)

Sam Cosmi, Chris Paul, Nick Allegretti, Matt Gulbin, Brandon Coleman, Josh Conerly Jr., Andrew Wylie, D.J. Humphries, Max Scharping

This could be the room that sees the most movement over the next few days as the team awaits players to hit the open market. The two names that are no longer here are Trent Scott and Julian Good-Jones. Neither makes sense to keep alongside D.J. Humphries and Andrew Wylie at tackle and Nick Allegretti and Matt Gulbin at center. The issue here is that the team may not feel comfortable with those interior backup options. Stay tuned, because this is the team's biggest weakness that needs the most work. I project the team will designate Laremy Tunsil to the IR on cutdown day with the option to return, in case he might be ready for the playoffs if the team were to make them.

EDGE (3)

Odafe Oweh, K’Lavon Chaisson, Joshua Josephs *** Reserve/Suspended - Dorance Armstrong for Week 1 ***

With Dorance Armstrong suspended for Week 1, things could awkwardly shift at this position. Javontae Jean-Baptiste is directly on the outside looking in right now. If the team decides to shift the roster math to keep four here, he's in.

Joshua Josephs continues to flash. Shows quickness and speed. Shows power with some bull rushes. Looks like he can wreak havoc on stunts and games. May have gotten a real contributor here. #commanders #raisehail #httc #takecommand #nfl pic.twitter.com/K8rp4UsgOQ

— CFTV (@CommandersFanTV) August 25, 2026

Defensive Tackle/Defensive Line (6)

Daron Payne, Javon Kinlaw, Tim Settle, Charles Omenihu, Maurice Hurst II, Byron Cowart

This room never carried any doubt toward the top; the bottom two names shifted once Johnny Newton was injured. With a chance he might return later this season, I project that the team will likely designate Newton to the IR on cutdown day with the option to return. Maurice Hurst II played well enough in preseason to at least start the year on the roster. Byron Cowart looked good in the limited duty he saw and will likely push for rotational time unless the team looks to upgrade the bottom of the room after the initial 53-man roster is turned in to the league office on Sunday.

Linebacker (5)

Jul 29, 2026; Ashburn, VA, USA; Washington Commanders linebacker Sonny Styles (52) and Commanders defensive end Drake Jackson (93) participate in a drill on day one of training camp at BigBear.ai Performance Center at Commanders Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Sonny Styles, Frankie Luvu, Leo Chenal, Jordan Magee, Kain Medrano

The only position drama that could come from this room would be at the bottom of it, and no one has done enough this preseason to unseat Kain Medrano. Jordan Magee offers great depth and special teams ability; he could also be decent trade bait.

Cornerback (5)

Trey Amos, Rasul Douglas, Mike Sainristil, Amik Robertson, Fabian Moreau

The biggest questions that are still lingering from this offseason involve Trey Amos missing the offseason installation of new defensive coordinator Daronte Jones' system due to returning from injury. That seems a bit problematic, but Amos remains one of the top options. Fabian Moreau played well once he joined the room.

Safety (5)

Aug 14, 2026; Landover, Maryland, USA; Miami Dolphins cornerback Juju Brents (8) is tackled by Washington Commanders safety Tyler Owens (18) while making a catch during the first half at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Nick Cross, Quan Martin, Jeremy Reaves, Tyler Owens, Percy Butler

This room was pretty much finalized this past week when veteran Will Harris was released, meaning Percy Butler would likely round out the room for special teams reasons. Tyler Owens earned his spot on the roster weeks ago.

Specialists (3)

Drew Stevens, Tress Way, Tyler Ott

No surprises here. Drew Stevens was named kicker a few weeks back, and Tress Way and Tyler Ott were always going to be the punter and long snapper.

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