Hogs Haven
With the Commanders coming off an abysmal Sunday night performance against Seattle and now riding a four-game losing streak (longest in Dan Quinn’s tenure), the Washington Commanders must make changes heading into a Week 10 matchup with Detroit.
At 3-6, the Commanders hold the oldest roster in the NFL and are now in a position to infuse the less proven, younger players into the roster while letting the older, “one-year rental” players see less reps. We’ve already seen this take place in the middle of the defense with second-year linebacker Jordan Magee stepping into a bigger role alongside Bobby Wagner. For the sake of this article, Magee will not be one of the changes since he is now nearly a full-time starter.
While it is unfortunate the season has been severely plagued by injuries, this should allow Adam Peters and the Commanders front office to take a magnified look at the future of this roster.
Since arriving last Spring, Zach Ertz has been one of the most reliable targets in the Commanders offense. Ertz is known to have a tight relationship with offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, and has even made it known that if not for Kliff, he likely would not still be playing football.
Even with those factors, it’s time for Ertz to see a drop in snaps…
Washington drafted Kansas State product Ben Sinnott in the 2nd round of the 2024 NFL draft, and so far he has not proven to be a steady receiving target in the offense.
While Sinnott is certainly an improved blocker from 2024, the 2025 season is eerily similar to last season in terms of receiving production after many expected an uptick in targets. Now feels like as good a time as any with multiple receivers out and reserve tight end Colson Yankoff missing time with a hamstring injury.
Ideally, Kingsbury is able to scheme Sinnott into a handful of situations over the next few weeks where he can display his YAC ability.
This is most likely the boldest claim of the three personnel changes listed, but it’s difficult to see an alternative option after the supreme lack of production on the outside due to injuries.
Former Titans first-round pick, Treylon Burks, made his debut last week against Seattle and saw 33 snaps (fourth among wideouts). Burks hauled in one reception, but also displayed his physicality on the outside with blocking against a physical Seahawks defense.
Next week, Burks should handle the snaps Chris Moore played in Week 9, which equated to being on the field for 74% of the Washington’s offensive snaps. Moore did not have a reception vs the Seahawks.
It’s no secret the secondary has been atrocious this season, and while the pass rush is partly to blame, the mental breakdowns and lack of communication in the secondary is the root of these problems.
Quan...
