5 Commanders With Everything on The Line in Training Camp

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5 Commanders With Everything on The Line in Training Camp

Tony Owusu · Lindy's Sports

Tue, Jul 28, 2026 ·

6 min read

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The Washington Commanders begin reporting for training camp on July 28, marking the unofficial start to the 2026 NFL season.

In three weeks, the team will have its first preseason game against the Miami Dolphins on August 14th. A month after that, the team opens the season against the Philadelphia Eagles on September 13.

But the team has a ton of work to do before they get back to the field against live competition, and all of that work happens during training camp.

Some players have more work to do than others; established veterans like Terry McLaurin , Laremy Tunsil , and Daron Payne don't have much to prove, while less established players are fighting for starting positions and even roster spots.

Here are the 5 Commanders players I think have the most to prove heading into the season.

1. Jer'Zhan Newton: Filling Pro Bowl Shoes on The Interior

Position: Defensive Tackle

Year: 3

2025 stats: 20 solo tackles, 5 sacks, 1 forced fumble ( source: NFL )

Jer'Zhan Newton, affectionately known as Johnny Newton, is entering the third and most important year of his career as a Washington Commander.

The team had high hopes for the burly interior lineman after selecting him in the second round of the 2024 draft out of Illinois. They even released long-time defensive tackle Jonathan Allen before last season with the expectation that Newton would help fill the Pro Bowler's position.

While Newton has shown flashes of dominance, he hasn't been consistent in his role. He isn't known as a pass rusher in his interior role, but the 5 sacks he garnered last season were a career high

For his part, Newton sounds ready to take the next step.

"I got my body right," Newton said on a recent podcast . "I've been training all offseason back in Florida ... I'm just ready to put it all on display."

2. Josh Conerly Jr. : Proving Late-Season Rookie Turnaround Was Real

Position: Right Tackle

Age: 22

2025 stats: 8 sacks, 43 total pressures allowed (source: Pro Football Reference )

Josh Conerly Jr. had an interesting rookie season. The team chose the offensive tackle out of Oregon in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft at the behest of former offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.

After re-signing All-Pro Laremy Tunsil to a multi-year extension this offseason, the team hopes it has found its bookend pass protectors for franchise QB Jayden Daniels for years to come.

Conerly struggled in the early part of the season as he ran into a murderer's row of accomplished defensive ends that made mincemeat of the rookie.

Conerly faced Brian Burns , Micah Parsons , Abdul Carter and Maxx Crosby during just the first three weeks of the 2025 season. That baptism by fire saw Conerly struggle in the first half of the season, but he eventually figured it out.

Conerly allowed 6 sacks and 28 total pressures during the first 8 games of the season. But during the back 9 , he allowed just 2 sacks and 15 total pressures.

Commanders fans and coaches would love to see him continue to improve and become the stalwart O-line anchor he was drafted to be.

3. Mike Sainristil : Reclaiming Superstar Trajectory After Slot Struggles

Position: Cornerback

Age: 25

2025 stats: 12 passes defended, 4 interceptions, 51 solo tackles (source: ESPN )

After a rookie season that made him look like a future superstar, former Michigan Wolverine Mike Sainristil came back down to earth in his sophomore season last year.

After playing as an outside corner for most of his rookie year, the team moved Sainristil back inside as a nickel corner, the position he played in college, leading to disastrous results.

According to NextGenStats , Sainristil allowed the fifth-most yards in coverage in the entire NFL last season with 780. And the tape looks about as bad as the stats do.

However, it should be noted that the Commanders' entire defense was awful last season, including stretches where they were historically bad. The team couldn't muster much of a pass rush for most of the season, and the secondary suffered for it.

This year, the Commanders brought in Amik Robertson to potentially be the nickel/slot corner, so hopefully Sainristil is moved back outside and regains his rookie season form.

4. Jacory Croskey-Merritt : Fixing Fumble Issues to Keep The Lead Back Role

Position: Running Back

Age: 25

2025 stats: 805 yards rushing, 8 touchdowns, 4 fumbles (2 lost) (source: ESPN )

When he first burst on the scene, Jacory Croskey-Merritt couldn't keep Commanders fans from shouting his nickname.

Bill! Bill! Bill! was the battle cry from the Washington faithful during the early part of Croskey-Merritt's rookie campaign last season.

However, as the year dragged on and the team's running attack shriveled to nothing, the tide started to turn, and during the offseason, a large cohort of fans wanted the team to draft running back Jeremiyah Love with the seventh overall pick.

Thank goodness the Cardinals took him off the board because that would have been a mistake.

Croskey-Merrit has the tools to be a great player. With Jahmyr Gibbs-type top-end speed and shiftiness, he is a tough player to get a handle on.

However, one big issue did pop up during his rookie season: fumbles. While he only lost two of them, his four fumbles last year are enough to give anyone who values the football pause.

But if Croskey-Merritt can hold onto the football this season and improve his blitz pickup and pass blocking, he will have Commanders fans calling him Bill once again in no time.

5. Quan Martin : Silencing Critics as The Last Line of Defense

Position: Free Safety

Age: 26

2025 stats: 99 total tackles, 3 passes defended, 1 forced fumble (source: ESPN )

Heading into the 2025 season, head coach Dan Quinn identified third-year safety Quan Martin as the defense's most key player. As the season went on and the defense seemed to get worse every week, Martin became the scapegoat for many fans.

It's not hard to see why.

The Commanders struggled mightily with explosive plays last year. Through the first six weeks of the season, the Commanders' defense was allowing an explosive play (defined as a run of 12 yards or more or a pass exceeding 16 yards) 12.3% of the time.

Only two teams allowed more.

Whether it was his fault or not, seeing Quan Martin trailing the player who got behind our defense for an explosive play down the field became nearly a weekly occurrence.

But Quan Martin is entering his fourth year, and much like Dan Quinn, I've seen how good he can be as the last line of defense. Hopefully, with a more potent pass rush, he can get back to the form that had Coach Quinn so high on him before last season.

This story was originally published by Lindys Sports on Jul 28, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Lindys Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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