Washington Commanders Depth Chart
- NFC East
- Stadium
- Commanders Field
- Head Coach
- Dan Quinn
- Offensive Coordinator
- Kliff Kingsbury
- Defensive Coordinator
- Joe Whitt Jr.
- Special Teams Coach
- Nate Kaczor
- Defensive Scheme
- 4-3
The Washington Commanders have selected Rice University wide receiver Luke McCaffrey with the 100th overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft. The pick marked the end of Round 3 and Day 2 of the draft. McCaffrey is a converted quarterback who transferred from Nebraska to Rice during the middle of his collegiate career. He truly broke out during his final season with the Owls, catching 71 passes for 992 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also rushed for an additional 117 yards on the ground. The brother of 49ers star Christian McCaffrey and son of three-time Super Bowl champion Ed McCaffrey, Luke demonstrated extreme leadership, football IQ, physicality, athleticism, and route running skills at Rice. He excelled in contested catch scenarios and should be a very reliable weapon for the Commanders and new quarterback Jayden Daniels. He figures to enter training camp as Washington's No. 3 wide receiver behind Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson.
The Commanders selected Kansas State tight end Ben Sinnott with the No. 53 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. The 21-year-old is coming off the best collegiate season of his career, totaling 49 catches for 676 yards and six touchdowns. While he's still young, he has the tools needed to be a potent pass-catcher moving ahead. Of course, Sinnott will have to contend with Zach Ertz for playing time. It could also take Jayden Daniels some time to find his rhythm in Washington, meaning Sinnott might not be productive immediately.
The Washington Commanders selected LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels with the second overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft on Thursday night. Daniels should enter Week 1 as the team's starter under center after Washington traded last year's starter, Sam Howell, to the Seahawks this offseason. The 23-year-old Heisman Trophy winner last year might be the most physically gifted QB in this draft class, although there is some concern that he might not be able to withstand the beating at the position, especially if he continues to take unnecessary hits as a runner. Like Caleb Williams, the upside is off the charts, and he'll have a strong No. 1 receiver in Terry McLaurin and a strong backfield behind him with Austin Ekeler and Brian Robinson Jr.
The Washington Commanders are declining the fifth-year contract option of linebacker Jamin Davis, according to a source. It's been heading this way for on and off-field reasons. The plan in 2024 is to have the athletically gifted Davis become a "hybrid" defender, which should translate to less pass coverage and more attempts to rush the quarterback. Davis played his rookie season in 2021 at Mike linebacker before moving to the off-ball role in the team's 4-2-5 base defense. According to Pro Football Focus, he tied for the highest yards per catch allowed (12.1) last year and ranked fourth-worst in average depth of target (5.5) because of his limited coverage instincts. The 25-year-old former 19th overall pick out of Kentucky has just seven sacks in his three seasons, but he could be more productive in that category if he's rushing the passer more in 2024.
Word around the league is that the Washington Commanders have advocates in their building for both LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels and North Carolina QB Drake Maye. However, almost everyone polled for The Athletic's story believed Daniels was destined for Washington with new general manager Adam Peters hot for Daniels. The belief from rival teams is that the Commanders had been leaning toward Maye much earlier in the pre-draft process, but Daniels has done enough to lock himself into the No. 2 pick. One executive from a team outside of the top 10 wouldn't rule out a brief Daniels slide, perhaps down to No. 4. Still, it's highly unlikely Daniels drops out of the top five. If he goes to D.C., he'll be favored to start from Day 1 in his rookie season.