Washington Commanders Final Roster Breakdown: Who Made the 53 for 2025

The Washington Commanders have made their roster cuts and are in the process of finalizing their practice squad. If there’s one thing we know, it’s that the roster won’t look the same today as it will in Week 18, when the team is hopefully preparing for another playoff run. Unlike in years past, there were very few surprises. Whether that is because of competent coaching and ownership, good fundamental roster construction, or just plain luck is known only to the forces of the universe.

Here’s a look at how it all broke down:

QBs (3): Jayden Daniels, Marcus Mariota, Josh Johnson.
It was a mild surprise that the 39-year-old Johnson beat out last year’s No. 3, Hartman, but the second-year pro from Notre Dame by way of Wake Forest was signed to the practice squad. Johnson impressed almost as much as Hartman struggled in the preseason, and ideally neither will see the field.

RBs (4): Bill Croskey-Merritt, Austin Ekeler, Chris Rodriguez, Jeremy McNichols.
Kliff Kingsbury loved Merritt’s running style, and the fact he ripped off a 27-yard touchdown run against Cincinnati probably sealed his spot as the starter and, in turn, sent Brian Robinson Jr. to San Francisco. Merritt gives them another run/catch option out of the backfield, which Kingsbury wants.

WRs (5): Terry McLaurin, Noah Brown, Deebo Samuel, Jaylin Lane, Luke McCaffrey.
The coaches have been raving about McCaffrey this summer, although the positive reviews have yet to manifest in a game situation. The group would have been in a lot more flux had McLaurin not signed his extension. Noah Brown worked out before the Ravens game, and he looks ready to start the season.

TEs (4): Zach Ertz, John Bates, Ben Sinnott, Colson Yankoff.
The one mild surprise was probably Yankoff over Cole Turner, who was cut, but Yankoff’s big catch over the middle against Baltimore probably won him the roster spot. Sinnott had another quiet camp, so the clock may be ticking. Bates is developing into a solid blocking tight end.

OL (9): Laremy Tunsil, Trent Scott, George Fant, Josh Conerly Jr., Brandon Coleman, Andrew Wylie, Chris Paul, Nick Allegretti, Tyler Biadasz.
One of these won’t be here after Week 4, provided Sam Cosmi is ready to come off the injured list. Coach Dan Quinn said at the start of training camp that Cosmi’s recovery is ahead of schedule, but he’s not ready to go just yet.

DL (8): Daron Payne, Johnny Newton, Javon Kinlaw, Eddie Goldman, Deatrich Wise Jr., Jacob Martin, Javonte Jean-Baptiste, Dorance Armstrong.
This group includes both interior linemen and edge rushers. The players who are going to be counted on to make the most impact this season saw little to no preseason action.

LBs (7): Bobby Wagner, Von Miller, Frankie Luvu, Kain Medrano, Jordan Magee, Ale Kaho, Nick Bellore.
This group breaks down into two categories: the Over-the-Hill Gang 2.0 and the No-Names.
It’s the most interesting group on the roster, even without the George Allen-era analogy. Washington is counting on Wagner to play a full season again at 34, and Miller will be used almost exclusively as a pass rusher. Magee missed most of his rookie season with an injury. Medrano was a late-round pick this spring, and Kaho made the team as an undrafted free agent.
Kaho was praised by the coaches for playing fast and violently in training camp. All three will learn quickly if they must see any regular-season action.

CBs (5): Marshon Lattimore, Trey Amos, Mike Sainristil, Jonathan Jones, Noah Igbinoghene.
Washington may be shopping Igbinoghene, but as of now, he’s on the roster. He and Jones will back up the first three listed at a position that was a mess a year ago. Now, it looks like one of the team’s strengths.

S (5): Quan Martin, Jeremy Reaves, Tyler Owens, Will Harris, Percy Butler.
Reaves, a special-teams ace, stood out on a defense that got lit up during the preseason and might see his snap count increase. The starters are clearly Martin and Harris.

ST (3): Tress Way, Tyler Ott, Matt Gay.
Gay was shaky this summer. For now, everything seems OK, but a missed field goal might mean a kicking competition in a few weeks.