Вашингтон Коммандерс багийн 2026 оны бүрэлдэхүүн болон Детройт Лайонс багтай хийх тоглолтын өмнөх өөрчлөлтүүд

Reviewing the roster limit

As you are probably aware, the NFL CBA allows each team to have 90 players on its offseason roster, but it also makes provisions for a 91st player who joins the team via the International Player Pathway (IPP) program. For the last several years, the Commanders have made use of this IPP exemption, as they have again this season, so Washington’s offseason roster limit is once again 91 players.

Washington’s 91st player via the IPP is currently edge rusher TJ Maguranyanga, who spent the 2025 season on the Commanders roster.

Surprising number of roster changes since the Lions game

In the four days that followed the Lions game, the Commanders announced nine roster moves.

Released/Waived (3)

RB Jerome Ford (released from IR with injury settlement)
The veteran running back will have the opportunity to sign with any of the other 31 NFL teams if he is healthy, but, per the NFL CBA, cannot play for the Commanders in 2026. This move did not affect the number of players on the roster since Ford, on IR, was not counted against the 91-man limit.

S Will Harris
After entering spring OTAs as one of the presumed starting safeties, Harris was released after the Lions game, presumably to give him the opportunity to catch on with another NFL roster ahead of Sunday’s mass cutdowns.

OT Foster Sarell
Sarell was released in conjunction with the signing of OT D.J. Humphries, which is simply an attempt by the Commanders to upgrade the position group.

Injured Reserve (2)

When a player is placed on injured reserve during training camp, he is ineligible to return to play for the team that season although he can subsequently be waived with an injury settlement and play for another team when healthy.

S Malik Spencer
The undrafted free agent was expected by many to wind up on the Commanders practice squad. The rookie safety was waived with an injury designation (hamstring) on Tuesday. Because he went unclaimed by another NFL team, he officially cleared waivers and reverted back to Washington’s roster the following day. As explained above, he will either spend the 2026 season on IR with Washington, or he can be released later with an injury settlement, and will be free to sign with any other NFL team. He cannot take the field in a regular or postseason game for the Commanders in 2026.

EDGE Drake Jackson
Jackson, who has lost past seasons due to issues with his patellar tendon, reportedly injured his hamstring during training camp/preseason work.

A quick NFL Rules Tutorial: One potential benefit to players of being placed on IR in preseason

Accrued Seasons vs. Credited Seasons

Credited and Accrued season are important to NFL players:

• Credited Season (3 Games): Used strictly for player benefits (pension, 401k, life insurance).
• Accrued Season (6 Games): Used to earn time toward free agency milestones.

What happens if a player is placed on IR during the preseason?

• Automatic Benefit: If a player is placed on IR in the preseason and remains on IR for the first three weeks of the regular season, he will automatically accrue a credited season. A player on IR must remain on full-pay status for at least six regular-season games to earn an accrued season.
• The Exception (Injury Settlements): If the team negotiates an injury settlement and releases the player during the preseason, he only gets a credited season if the financial settlement covers the equivalent of three or more regular-season game checks; if the settlement covers at least six, he qualifies for an accrued season.

Credited seasons are more likely to be of importance to marginal players — especially those with very short careers or who spend a lot of time moving on and off of team rosters and practice squads — as player benefits are often tied to credited seasons. Some things that are likely to interest fans, such as a player’s minimum salary, are based on credited seasons rather than accrued seasons.

For a player who might have been cut without ever making the team’s roster, being placed on IR during the preseason could potentially help that player add a credited or accrued season, enhancing his qualification for benefits or moving him a year closer to unrestricted free agency.

Signed (4)

OT D.J. Humphries
Humphries spent nine seasons with the Cardinals (2015–2023), establishing himself as a premium blindside protector and earning a Pro Bowl selection in 2021. He accumulated 101 career NFL starts. Following a torn ACL near the end of 2023, he became a journeyman backup. Humphries played two games for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2024 and appeared in eight regular-season games for the Los Angeles Rams in 2025. Commanders head coach Dan Quinn made it clear that he would provide depth behind Brandon Coleman as opposed to taking over the starting LT position.

OLB Boogie Basham
Over five seasons, he has played in 43 career games as a rotational pass rusher, bouncing between the Buffalo Bills, New York Giants and Carolina Panthers. Before signing with Washington, he spent the first half of 2026 playing locally in the UFL for the DC Defenders, where he recorded 24 tackles and three sacks.

S Joshua Bledsoe
A 6th-round pick in 2021, he spent his first three NFL seasons (2021–2023) with New England, appearing in four regular-season games primarily as a special teams contributor. Since leaving the Patriots, he has spent time on the offseason rosters or practice squads of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans, and also spent time in the UFL with the San Antonio Brahmas.

S Quindell Johnson
After going undrafted in 2023, he was signed by the Los Angeles Rams and later claimed by the Chicago Bears. He appeared in nine regular-season NFL games with Chicago during his rookie year, recording two tackles and one interception. He also spent time with the San Francisco 49ers and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Accounting for Laremy Tunsil & Johnny Newton

While today’s chart lists 91 players, we know already that two of those players, LT Laremy Tunsil and DL Johnny Newton, will not be on the active roster in Week 1.

Timing counts for a lot with players who suffer major injuries in training camp. Here’s a quick explanation of the considerations for placing a player on IR under the relevant NFL rules:

1. The Pre-Cutdown Rule (Season-Ending)

As mentioned above, if the Commanders place Tunsil or Newton on IR during training camp before the final 53-man roster reduction deadline on Aug. 30, the player is automatically ruled out for the entire season. He would not be allowed to practice or play for Washington at any point during the year.

While Tunsil and Newton have already undergone surgery, head coach Dan Quinn said that doctors have not yet determined the recovery timeline for either player. If doctors determine, in the coming days, that Tunsil and/or Newton will not be able to return to play prior to mid-February, then the Commanders might choose to exercise this option.

2. The Cutdown Day Exception (Designated to Return)

NFL rules allow teams:

a. to designate, on cutdown day (Aug 30th), up to two injured players to return from IR during the season.

b. alternatively, the team can carry a player onto the initial 53-man roster and move him to IR the following day (Aug 31st) or later, opening up a roster spot; the only reason to do this would be if the team needed to designate two other players to return at the time the initial roster was set on Aug 30.

(Option A is almost certainly the one that the Commanders would choose in Tunsil’s case, probably Newton as well)

This approach (either option a or b) allows the player (Tunsil/Newton/both) to keep his season alive, as it leaves the door open for him to return after sitting out a minimum of four games (obviously, in these two cases, it would be closer to four months than four games).

If doctors determine that the player’s (Tunsil’s/Newton’s/both) return to play could happen prior to mid-February, then the Commanders might choose this option to keep all possibilities on the table. The only cost to the team is the opportunity to carry one or two more players on the training camp roster between now and Aug 30.

Not your typical depth chart

The chart below is only a depth chart insofar as it assigns players to positions and stacks them in an order.

The primary purpose of the chart is to keep track of the 91 guys that currently comprise the training camp roster, not to predict game-day alignments.

You will note, for example, that I have 12 offensive position stacks and 12 defensive position stacks on the chart despite the fact that a team can only field 11 players at one time.

You will also note that each player’s name appears only once regardless of the fact that he may play in multiple alignments or positions (e.g., an interior offensive lineman who can play center and both guard spots will appear at only one of those positions, not all of them). Again, this is by design, since the goal is to provide handy visual reference of the 91 individual players while also offering an overall snapshot of team strength and depth. The bias, though, is to provide a visual list of the full roster, not so much to create a game-ready depth chart.

Finally, you will also note that, where players are capable of playing more than one position (and likely to do so on game days), my decision on where to align them may be very different from your idea of where they belong.

The updated offseason roster/depth chart

NOTES:The numbers that appear beside some players’ names are 2026 cap hits per Over the Cap. I have not included cap hits below $1.5m.

The Commanders currently have 44 defensive players, 44 offensive players and 3 special teams players.

Please note that assigned positions and color codes are my own personal opinions; they do not necessarily represent the thinking of Washington’s coaches or front office, nor are they necessarily consistent with fan consensus or the thoughts of other writers on Hogs Haven. Finally, when it comes to backup players, I don’t put much effort into making sure that they are on the right or left or behind the specific player that they backup. I mostly just try to fit everyone on the chart efficiently.

It’s also probably worth noting again that my goal is primarily to illustrate the full offseason roster, not to create a conventional depth chart. I have, for example, 12 position stacks on offense and 12 on defense. Readers can project 11 or 12 personnel (or whatever else) on offense, as well as multiple defensive alignments.