Players Who Helped Themselves in the Commanders’ Second Preseason Game

There was a bit more to see from starters and likely major contributors in the Commanders’ second preseason game. But Dan Quinn kept the emphasis on evaluating players destined for the depth ranks and roster hopefuls. Much of the playing time on Monday night was devoted to players who are unlikely to play on offense or defense for the Commanders this season. And many of the players who took snaps will be on other teams’ practice squads or playing in the UFL.

But enough about them. This article is about highlighting players who took advantage of the MNF spotlight to help their chances of earning playing time for the Commanders this season, as a well as a few established roster locks who showed promising signs for the upcoming season.

One major difference from the preseason opener against the Patriots is that the coaching staff made a major shift of emphasis from the passing game to the running game. In sharp contrast to the 41:25 rushing to passing balance last week, on Monday night, Kliff Kingsbury called just 19 passing plays to 30 rushing attempts. With three of the Commanders’ starting OL on the field for a full 7 offensive snaps, this gave fans a bit more of a taste of what to expect from the revamped rushing attack this season.

While there were plenty of flashes from the Commanders’ young players and new additions, the biggest breakout performance was from Washington’s 2024 UDFA signee and Mason-Brennan Award finalist, WR Mitchell Tinsley, playing for the Cincinnati Bengals.

Tinsley led all receivers Monday night with a 5/5, 73 yd, 2 TD performance, including a perfect reception rate on 3 contested catches and elite-level productivity of 3.17 Y/RR. Tinsley made a compelling case for a roster spot, but it still might not have been enough to earn a spot in an exceptionally deep WR room. If the Bengals try to stash him on the PS, plenty of teams will be eying the waver wire. Might Adam Peters be in the mix to get him back?

While Tinsley hogged the spotlight, there was still plenty to see in burgundy and mustard. Let’s have a look at who made the most of their opportunities in the Commanders’ second preseason game.

Offense

Offensive Line

While a few questions remain, the Commanders seem to be settled on their starters and primary backups on the OL. The main competition at this point is for last few backup positions. A few young guns are trying to unseat aging veterans for those positions.

C Michael Dieter (6’5”, 315 lbs, RAS 5.64) – Believe it or not, backup center Michael Dieter, whom everyone loves to hate, pitched a perfect game in pass protection, while splitting snaps between his main position and LG. He failed to yield a single pressure in 21 pass blocking snaps, albeit against the Bengals’ reserves and roster hopefuls. PFF gave him a 62.6 run block grade, which is not bad.

OT Trent Scott (6’ 5”, 320...