The Commanders are leaving the door open for left tackle Laremy Tunsil and defensive tackle Johnny Newton to return to action at some point during the 2026 season.
Both players were placed on injured reserve on Monday. Waiting to make the move until after the initial 53-man roster was set allowed the Commanders to designate Tunsil and Newton for return at any point during the regular season or playoffs.
Teams are allowed to designate two players for return at the time of their initial cuts, but they used those spots on cornerback Trey Amos and running back Jeremy McNichols. Tunsil tore his triceps and Newton tore his pec, which leaves them with longer odds of making it back later in the year.
Washington also announced that cornerback Fabian Moreau and defensive tackle Shy Tuttle have re-signed with the team after being released on Sunday.
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The Eagles’ backup quarterback job was the subject of plenty of speculation over the course of the summer, but the team ended up passing on a decision to get rid of either Tanner McKee or Andy Dalton.
Both quarterbacks made the initial 53-man roster and the Eagles also kept rookie Cole Payton, who saw time on special teams in addition to playing his regular positions during the preseason. All three are behind Jalen Hurts and the rationale for keeping four quarterbacks was the subject of the first question General Manager Howie Roseman fielded during a Monday press conference.
“Most important position in sports,” Roseman said. “I feel like all those guys have value for our team. Obviously some is short-term value, some is long-term value when you think about Cole.”
Roseman was also asked about how the quarterbacks fit into the depth chart, but declined to say who will be Hurts’ backup in Week 1.
“Anything that goes into preparations for Washington, we’re going to keep close to the vest,” Roseman said.
The Eagles will release a depth chart before Week 1, but their inactive list may wind up being the best guide to who they will turn to if Hurts has to miss any time this year.
The Ravens have brought in some potential competition at kicker for Tyler Loop.
Baltimore announced on Monday that the club has signed former third-round pick Jake Moody to its practice squad.
Moody, 26, had been with the Commanders since midway through last season. But Washington let him go in mid-August after Drew Stevens won the team’s kicking competition.
Moody made 21-of-25 field goals and 60-of-61 extra points in his first season with the 49ers but struggled throughout 2024, making just 70.6 percent of his field goals. When he missed two kicks in San Francisco’s season opener last year, the team let him go.
He kicked for Chicago for two games, making 8-of-9 field goals and 3-of-3 extra points while filling in for an injured Cairo Santos. He then went to Washington and made 10-of-11 field goals and 10-of-11 extra points in six games.
Loop, entering his second season, connected on 30-of-34 field goals and 44-of-46 extra points as a rookie — infamously missing a 44-yard attempt wide right at the end of the regular season that would have won the AFC North and sent the Ravens to the postseason over the Steelers. He missed two long field goals in Baltimore’s preseason finale, with a 58-yard and a 51-yard attempt each going wide left.
The Commanders have announced their roster moves to cut their roster down to 53 players.
Washington has waived or released linebacker Krys Barnes, outside linebacker Boogie Basham, safety Joshuah Bledsoe, receiver Jaden Bradley, offensive lineman Daniel Brunskill, tight end Lawrence Cager, defensive tackle Byron Cowart, cornerback Fred Davis II, offensive lineman Julian Good-Jones, cornerback Antonio Hamilton Sr., quarterback Sam Hartman, running back Robert Henry Jr., center Trey Hill, defensive tackle Maurice Hurst II, linebacker Curtis Jacobs, receiver Van Jefferson, outside linebacker D.J. Johnson, safety Quindell Johnson, receiver Jacoby Jones, linebacker Ale Kaho, safety Qwuanrezz Knight Sr., defensive tackle Jeffrey M’Ba, outside linebacker T.J. Maguranyanga, tight end Tre’ McKitty, tight end Quentin Moore, cornerback Fabian Moreau, receiver Nick Nash, offensive lineman Nicholas Petit-Frere, running back Craig Reynolds, cornerback Darius Rush, guard Max Scharping, offensive tackle Trent Scott, defensive tackle Shy Tuttle, and cornerback Car’lin Vigers.
Washington placed two players on injured reserve with designations to return: cornerback Trey Amos and running back Jeremy McNichols.
The club also placed defensive end Detrich Wise Jr. on the reserve/physically unable to perform list.
All three of Amos, McNichols, and Wise will be eligible to return after the fourth game of the season.
Quarterback Sam Hartman’s time is up in Washington.
Per multiple reports, the Commanders are waiving Hartman on Sunday as they cut their roster to 53 players.
Hartman signed with the team after going undrafted in 2024 and he’s spent most of the last two seasons on the practice squad. Hartman has not appeared in any regular season games for the Commanders.
Marcus Mariota is the primary backup to Jayden Daniels for Washington and he’s missed most of the last month after suffering a sprained MCL early in the team’s first preseason game. Rookie Athan Kaliakmanis would be the team’s third quarterback if he makes it through cutdown day.
Controversial or not, there’s an appetite for merchandise with the Commanders’ outdated name and logo.
Via Eric Flack of WUSA, who first reported on the sale of gear bearing the abandoned name and logo earlier this week, all items featuring the old logo and name at the team’s online store have sold out.
Per Flack, items remain available at the team’s brick-and-mortar store.
The Commanders defended the decision to sell gear with the name and logo by citing accuracy in honoring franchise alumni. The team also mentioned the necessity of keeping its trademark rights viable.
The Association on American Indian Affairs promptly spoke out about the apparent backslide toward a name that has evolved over time into a dictionary-defined slur.
The latest use of the name is the most blatant embrace of it since the name was dropped in 2020. Time will tell whether the Commanders continue to push the envelope regarding the renormalization of the name — and whether the name, at the right time and under the right circumstances, will officially return.
Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels does not want to talk about his battle with LSU about the school not retiring his jersey number.
Daniels’ lawyer told LSU to cease using Daniels’ name, image and likeness because Daniels is upset that the No. 5 he wore on his jersey at LSU is now being worn by cornerback DJ Pickett. At the Commanders’ practice on Wednesday, where many reporters who cover the Commanders were questioning him for the first time, Daniels was asked if he wants to say why he filed the cease-and-desist.
“No, I posted a statement on Instagram and said everything I needed to say. So, appreciate y’all. Thank you,” Daniels said, ending the press conference.
In the statement he posted to Instagram two weeks ago, Daniels said, “I have been locked in on training camp and that’s been my number one focus. I have a lot of gratitude for my time at LSU and I’m proud of what my teammates and I accomplished there. Obviously there are issues to be worked out between my team and LSU and my hope is that it will get done privately. My sole personal focus is on Commanders’ football. I realize the business of football is unique and I trust this can all be resolved.”
That statement may be all we hear from Daniels about his relationship with LSU, but it’s clear that Daniels is not happy that the No. 5 jersey will be on the field this season, when he believes it should be on display to commemorate his career as a Heisman Trophy winner.
The Commanders and the Ravens had a joint practice today that reporters on the scene described as an ugly performance from the Commanders’ offense. Jayden Daniels was a little more charitable in his description of it, but admitted it wasn’t good enough.
Daniels said after practice that the offense could have been better, but also described it as a learning experience.
“Not the best day that I thought we could have had, all-around, from myself to everybody else, but these are the opportunities we get to learn from,” Daniels said.
Multiple reporters at the practice described the Commanders’ offensive line as getting dominated by the Ravens’ defensive line, with the absence of Commanders center Nick Allegretti, who is out with a calf injury, causing particular problems for Washington. Daniels said he just has to do his best with the teammates available.
“I’m out here with who’s out here, at the end of the day,” Daniels said. “At the end of the day, I’m just doing my job.”
Commanders fans will hope Daniels and his teammates can do their jobs better when the season starts.
Once upon a time, former Washington owner Daniel Snyder said that he would “all-caps” never change the team’s name. Current ownership says the team will never change the name back.
Meanwhile, new ownership continues to keep the old name and logo in circulation.
The most blatant dipping of the toe happened recently, when the team made available T-shirts honoring franchise greats that include the old name and logo.
If the effort was aimed in part at seeing what the reaction would be, there was one.
“The franchise retired this branding in 2020 after decades of advocacy by Native Peoples and one of their large sponsors requesting they change it,” the Association on American Indian Affairs said in a statement issued to WUSA. “Native Peoples’ diverse cultures are not brands to be retired and then revived when there is money to be made. The renewed commercialization of Native stereotypes is part of a broader pattern of disrespect toward Native Peoples at a time when Native Nations are fighting very real threats to their sovereignty, cultures, lands, and sacred places. Reviving harmful imagery — that has been proven to harm Native youth — for nostalgia and profit only perpetuates the stereotypes Native Peoples have spent decades demanding be left behind. And, that the sponsors of the Washington Commanders have said should be left behind. Native Peoples have been clear, consistent and unwavering: We are not your mascot.”
Here’s how the team official explained the move, also in a statement to WUSA: “When we recognize alumni through merchandise, our goal is to ensure those products authentically reflect the era they represent, and that is shown in the handful of items we are selling. It’s also important that we protect our trademarks. We are required to maintain the marks in commercial usage so that [the] marks remain under franchise control. There are no changes to our previous position on the team name, and we’re excited to showcase the Commanders brand this season in ways that celebrate our past while looking toward the future.”
The trademarks argument seems flimsy. Even if the law requires the Commanders to use mothballed names and logos in order to preserve the rights to them, it doesn’t have to be quite so conspicuous. Besides, it felt like a “by the way” addition to the primary argument that they want merchandise honoring alumni that is authentic and accurate.
But that can easily be accomplished, by using an image of the player that includes a straight-on view of his helmet, with the logos not clearly visible.
The bigger picture is this. Even if current ownership says they’ll never bring back the old name, they’re keeping it close enough to use if needed.
In 2020, the planets lined up in a way that got Snyder to do something he said he’d never do. At some point in the future, the planets could line up in a way that results in Harris (or the next owner) doing what the team now says it will never do.
Veteran tackle D.J. Humphries is officially a member of the Commanders.
Reports on Tuesday indicated that Humphries would be signing with the team after working out for them earlier in the day and the Commanders announced the move on Wednesday morning.
Humphries will join the group of players in the mix to replace Laremy Tunsil at left tackle in Washington. Tunsil tore his triceps and will miss much if not all of the regular season.
Humphries has made 101 career starts, including all 98 games he played during eight seasons with the Cardinals. Brandon Coleman has been filling in for Tunsil and we’ll find out if that remains the case now that Humphries is in Washington.
