A to Z Sports

Long shot rookie just forced himself onto the Commanders roster after his big night against the Dolphins

By Evan Winter,

10 hours ago

The preseason is all about ebbs and flows and that typically extends to all areas of a football team - especially throughout the roster.

Guys fighting for jobs may look great one week and not as great the next. It's all part of their development and the fine-tuning aspect of roster construction in the NFL.

The Washington Commanders are combing through the entire roster in order to field the best 53 in 2024. There are plenty of decisions to make, thanks to the "recalibration" aspect Dan Quinn and co. are going through in Year 1.

With that being said, there are some guys that really helped their stock against the Miami Dolphins and then there are some who hurt their chances of making the final roster. So, without wasting anymore time, let's dive into the guys who helped their case on Saturday night.

Commanders players whose stock is up after Dolphins loss

1. S Tyler Owens

The rookie UDFA has been an under-the-radar candidate to make the Commanders' roster ever since the team signed him after the draft. He's long, athletic, and fast, which fits the top-3 traits Quinn and co. look for in their defensive backs.

The kid can hit, too, as we've seen throughout the preseason. He had another strong showing against the Dolphins on Saturday night, recording three tackles and a tackle for loss. The TFL was a nice play where Owens took down a running back in the backfield and then he shoved his blocker into the Dolphins' return man during a punt return: both plays showcasing what he can do on the field.

The Commanders safety room is a crowded one, but Owens has made a name for himself to the point where the team will make room for him come final cuts on August 27.

2. QB Jeff Driskell

The Commanders have their top-2 quarterbacks set in Jayden Daniels and Marcus Mariota, leaving the futures of Driskell, Sam Hartman, and the recently-signed Trace McSorely in the air.

Driskell cut through a lot of his own personal ambiguity against the Dolphins. The guy looked calm, controlled, and made several nice plays through the air and on the ground. He finished the night 11-of-15 for 82-yards and led the team with 44 rushing yards on four carries.

The key, here, is both Mariota and Hartman are injured. While both injuries don't seem to be long-term, it's important to note. The Commanders really like Hartman and stashing him on the practice squad is a very feasible option. With all of that in mind, it makes a lot of sense for Washington to hang onto Driskell and make him the team's emergency QB while Hartman develops. Based off what we saw Saturday night, that wouldn't be a bad idea, at all.

3. RB Brian Robinson

Daniels has looked great in his first two preseason games, therefore, he's been the main talking point throughout August, and for good reason. At the same time, though, Brian Robinson and the Commanders ground game has looked just as impressive, albeit in limited action.

Robinson, himself, looks really good. He's quickly and decisively finding the holes created for him by the offensive line and he's been running really, really hard. He's only been stood up at the line of scrimmage, twice, and has yet to record a negative gain. In fact, outside getting stood up twice, his gains have been of four-, five-, seven-, and four-yards against the Jets, and two 11-yard runs against the Dolphins. In all, BRob has recorded eight carries for 42-yards, thus far, good for more than five yards a pop.

If the Commanders running game can simply amount to an average attack, it will be huge for both Daniels' development and the offense, as a whole, in 2024.

4. DEs Jamin Davis/Javonte Jean-Baptiste

I'm going to combine these guys simply because they play the same position. Both players made a big impact in their own way against the Dolphins and both should make the final 53, as a result.

Jean-Baptiste recorded his first NFL sack thanks to his hustle and motor, while Davis recorded his first strip-sack from the defensive end position. The latter's future has been in question due to the position switch and the lack of production during his first three years in the league. The Commanders believe, though, that Davis can help at defensive end and we saw a glimpse of that on Saturday night.

"I think that was a big step," Quinn told reporters after the game. "And when you put that much work in, it's nice to be rewarded for that. He's really put in a lot of work with [pass rush specialist] Ryan [Kerrigan] and with [defensive line coach] Daryl [Tapp] to get that part of his game right. And going into the game, we had some injuries at linebacker, and so would we put him back down there? I said, 'I really want to see him down on the line of scrimmage, again.'

"You know, he's getting close to what we want to see. Even before the sack, he did a nice job on the keeper. That was a rollout, and you just felt his speed. And so it was exciting to see all the players get that excited for him. You can generally see when the sideline erupts for somebody, what their teammates think about them, and I think they're recognizing how hard Jamin's putting in the work for it. So it was good to see him rewarded for that."

In a cool twist, Jean-Baptiste recovered the fumble that Davis forced, again, thanks to his hustle and motor. All of a sudden, the defensive end room may have found the depth it's been searching for all summer.