Three Commanders Players on the Outside Looking In Who Could Still Force Their Way Onto the Final 53

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Three Commanders Players on the Outside Looking In Who Could Still Force Their Way Onto the Final 53

Commanders 53-man roster battles — Nov 16, 2025; Madrid, Spain; Washington Commanders tight end Colson Yankoff (80) carries the ball, defended by Miami Dolphins safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (29), in the first quarter during the 2025 NFL Madrid Game at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Henry Brown

Wed, Aug 12, 2026 ·

5 min read

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The Washington Commanders kicked off their first joint practice with the Miami Dolphins today, the latest step in the lead-up to the teams' preseason debut on Friday. Their priorities from competitive and developmental standpoints will soon be thrust before a national audience, potentially revealing the Commanders' preferences regarding the tough decisions coming their way.

In a little over two weeks, Washington's evaluators will have to make a slew of cuts to trim the roster down to the final 53 contributors, and their retooled roster is fortunately crowded enough to complicate some of the fringier decisions. Depending on how the next few practices and scrimmages go, a few second-, third-, and fourth-stringers have the chance to elevate into or maintain their positions as regular-season staples.

Colson Yankoff's Case to Deepen Washington's Tight End Rotation

The 6'4 tight end out of UCLA went undrafted two years ago, but he's remained a familiar face around D.C. ever since getting gifted a chance to build on his athletic gifts in Washington.

Despite only attracting three targets and collecting a mere 18 total yards across 20 career outings, he's made an intriguing case for himself as the newest dark horse to uplift Jayden Daniels' offense thanks to some electric training camp highlights. Yankoff seemingly catches everything thrown his way with a little extra pizzazz, something the quarterback would appreciate even after the team's recent Stefon Diggs acquisition .

The only complication standing in Yankoff's way is the already-deep position group he's forced to contend with. They already have an agile pass-catcher in Chig Okonkwo , a blocking specialist in John Bates , and their very own untapped wild card in Ben Sinnott . Should Yankoff look to earn a place as a regularly appearing option or red zone threat, he'll have to spend the next few weeks continuing to commit to his niche in convincing the staff to expand the room into a foursome.

Dyami Brown's Continued Comeback Attempt

Before Diggs signed, the Commanders had spent most of their offseason looking for playable wide receivers in the league's bargain bin. One of the names they brought in early on in free agency, Dyami Brown, has much more to prove beyond seizing a bench role alongside a familiar group of guys.

Washington Commanders Head Coach Dan Quinn and Wide Receiver Dyami Brown — Oct 20, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn (right) fist bumps Washington Commanders wide receiver Dyami Brown (2) during the first quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The Commanders' third-round draftee from 2021 spent four years puttering around D.C. as a backup wideout, eventually enjoying a career-high 30 receptions during the Commanders' whirlwind 2024 campaign. Following that run to the NFC Championship Game, he opted to bet on himself by jumping to the Jacksonville Jaguars, but his subpar catch rate contributed to his being pulled from that starting lineup shortly before the Jaguars' strong late-season finish.

If he has any chance left to break his way back onto a 53-man roster , it'll be in Washington, the last (and only) place he ever enjoyed 300 receiving yards in a season. And though the veteran has a chance to join Daniels' scoring corps, the competition he's up against is subtly stiff.

Outside of obvious starters Diggs and Terry McLaurin , he'll also face a slew of similarly-hand-drafted options in Antonio Williams , Luke McCaffrey , and Jaylin Lane . Again, if we could eliminate someone else from falling through the cracks in upstart prospect Williams, there's a chance that either McCaffrey or Lane falls short in impressing the Washington masses due to their similar return-friendly skill sets and lack of short-field creativity, while the reclamation project that is Treylon Burks only barely seems safer than journeyman Van Jefferson .

Should a few of those factors break in his favor, Brown may have a direct channel back to his old in-house standing.

Percy Butler's Grasp to Fill Secondary Needs

Add the Commanders' safety depth to their list of jumbled positions without much in the way of clear headliners.

Here's what we know: Nick Cross , one of Washington's crown jewels of the offseason, will play a key starting role along the defensive backfield. Jeremy Reaves , Quan Martin , and Will Harris will return in their own regularly rotating roles. Those four names should fill out the majority of the squad's safety snaps, but a third-stringer could certainly help by adding another viable option.

The Commanders have done their due diligence in giving Percy Butler chances against real competition during their scrimmages, but he, too, has a long way to go before fortifying himself as a made man. Despite four seasons' worth of healthy chances, the speedy disruptor's yet to separate from the pack, notching just 14 tackles over 16 appearances and a lone start in 2025.

Most of those aforementioned safety options not named Cross haven't been great in coverage in camp, let alone on the field as members of the Commanders' lackluster secondary of old, so it doesn't bode well for Butler that he remains this far down the totem pole amidst such a so-so group. But given the holes that need filling, he still has a chance to beat out Malik Spencer for a shot at the final 53.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/commanders/onsi as Three Commanders Players on the Outside Looking In Who Could Still Force Their Way Onto the Final 53 .

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