The Washington Commanders released their first depth chart ahead of Week 1 this week, containing four rookies listed on the first team. Quarterback Jayden Daniels, wide receiver Luke McCaffrey, offensive tackle Brandon Coleman and cornerback Mike Sainristil were all listed at the top of their respective positions.
Coleman’s inclusion isn’t a surprise, considering how strong he looked throughout OTAs and early in training camp. But a shoulder injury sidelined him for all three preseason games and both joint practices. It was unfortunate because the Commanders knew how the third-round pick looked against teammates but wanted to get him some experience against other teams.
Washington released its first injury report for the season on Wednesday, and Coleman was listed. The good news is that Coleman was a full participant. That means, unless something drastic happens over the next two days, Coleman is playing against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Would head coach Dan Quinn feel comfortable playing Coleman in Week 1 after he missed all of the preseason?
“I do, and it’s an example of you can only control the things that you can, and so would it have been better?” Quinn said. “Yes, but okay, that is not how it went down. This player’s really put in the work, and he’s really ready to go. So yeah, we’re excited to get him into it. Would it have been better for him and anybody else? Of course. But like I said, you can only control what you can, but the player is really putting in the work and is ready to go.”
While comfortable playing him, he needs to see him in practice this week before determining a starter.
“Yeah, for the practice part first, yeah we’re definitely aiming towards playing and getting into that,” Quinn said. “And so I’ll probably have a better instance for him and a couple of the guys all the way through the practice week.”
This is a good approach from Quinn. If he’s healthy and the best player, he should play. Under Ron Rivera, things would likely have been different.
For Quinn, there are no hard and fast rules. Every player’s playing status will be determined on an individual basis.
Coleman said he was trending positively toward playing in Week 1 last week and told JP Finlay of NBC Washington that he is good to go.
Full go for rookie left tackle Brandon Coleman. Spoke to him in locker room this afternoon, says he’s ready to rock. pic.twitter.com/kVkeFaGblL
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) September 4, 2024
This is excellent news for the Commanders. But Coleman will be thrown right into the fire, protecting his fellow rookie, in their NFL debuts against a defense that is known to bring pressure from all over.
