Pro Football Rumors
The Commanders made a veteran addition to their secondary when they signed cornerback Rasul Douglas 12 days ago, alleviating the concerns of several who had been calling for reinforcements at the position. Rumors had run rampant that Washington had forgotten to address a major position of need, but according to ESPN’s John Keim, Douglas’ deal had been in the works for some time.
Before Douglas joined the fold, the Commanders only had three cornerbacks — 2025 first-rounder Trey Amos, 2024 second-rounder Mike Sainristil, and veteran free agent addition Amik Robertson — under contract past this year, not counting undrafted rookie Fred Davis II. Keim went on to add that Amos, Sainristil, and Robertson were the only roster locks at the position until Douglas joined.
In addition to depth, Douglas also elevates the talent of the top group a bit. According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), the two incumbent starters and Robertson all performed below average in 2025. Out of 112 cornerbacks with enough snaps to qualify for the site’s rankings, Amos finished last year ranked 80th, Sainristil ranked 95th, and Robertson ranked 106th with the Lions. Free agent departures Noah Igbinoghene (81st), Marshon Lattimore (93rd), and Jonathan Jones (100th) didn’t fare much better. As a starter for the Dolphins last year, Douglas ranked as the 24th-best cornerback in the league.
Washington featured a heavy rotation last year between Sainristil, Lattimore, Amos, and Jones at outside cornerback. Sainristil worked as a starter on the outside in base packages but would shift inside to the slot when an additional corner was brought on. Robertson served as the Lions’ top nickelback in 2025, so his addition should relieve Sainristil of his duty to lead at both positions. The hope is that Amos will be healthy enough to start full-time across from Sainristil on the outside, while the veteran, Douglas, provides another rotation corner on the outside with starting experience.
Behind those four, the Commanders roster Ahkello Witherspoon, Antonio Hamilton, Tre Hawkins, Darius Rush, and Davis. Witherspoon brings a ton of experience with a couple seasons as a full-time starter in his nine-year career. He’s coming off a campaign in which he was limited to only six games due to injury, which has been a common theme throughout his career. Witherspoon has only appeared in every game of a season once and has played in 10 games or fewer in four seasons. As long as he’s healthy, though, Witherspoon should occupy a fifth roster spot.
Hamilton will also put up a fight for a spot. The 10-year veteran has never served as a full-time starter, but he offers enough special teams usage to warrant 10 seasons of NFL play. Hawkins has appeared in only four games over the past two years after starting three of 17 appearances for the Giants as a rookie. Rush has seen extremely limited time on defense in his three years in the NFL, appearing in only six games over that span. Hawkins and Rush each only appeared in...
