The Dan Quinn era got off to a rough start on Sunday, with the Washington Commanders falling to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 37-20.
Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels had a solid debut, completing 17 of 24 passes for 184 yards, but he made his most significant impact as a runner. Daniels carried the football 16 times for 88 yards and rushed for two touchdowns.
Daniels wasn’t the only Washington rookie to see time in Sunday’s game. Left tackle Brandon Coleman and cornerback Mike Sainristil were among the team’s other rookies to see action in Week 1.
Here’s a breakdown of playing time, courtesy of the Commanders’ Week 1 snap counts:
Offense
Left guard Nick Allegretti, center Tyler Biadasz, right guard Sam Cosmi and right tackle Andrew Wylie joined Daniels as the offensive players who played every offensive snap.
Coleman split time at left tackle with veteran Cornelis Lucas, receiving 24% of the offensive snaps, while Lucas handled the remaining 76%.
No surprise, Terry McLaurin led the receivers, playing 81% of the snaps. Luke McCaffrey (61%) was next, followed by Dyami Brown (56%) and Olamide Zaccheaus (44%).
Zach Ertz led the tight ends, playing 42 of the 59 offensive snaps, with John Bates (47%) and rookie Ben Sinnott (22%) also seeing time.
Running backs Brian Robinson Jr. and Austin Ekeler were impressive on Sunday. Robinson paced the backs with 33 snaps, but Ekeler was right behind him with 31.
Defense
Linebacker Bobby Wagner and cornerback Benjamin St-Juste were the only two defensive players who participated on every snap. Sainristil played all but three defensive snaps in his NFL debut.
The Commanders rotated heavily on the defensive line. At tackle, Jonathan Allen (64%) led the way, followed by Daron Payne (62%). Phidarian Mathis and Sheldon Day each played 23 snaps.
Linebacker Frankie Luvu and free safety Quan Martin each participated in 92% of the defensive snaps.
At edge rusher, starters Dorance Armstrong (58%) and Clelin Ferrell (55%) played the most. But Dante Fowler Jr. (33%), rookie Javontae Jean-Baptiste (31%) and Jamin Davis (20%), in his first game at edge rusher, also saw playing time. Davis made the most of his time, beating All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs on a play that stopped Tampa Bay for a six-yard loss.
Veteran Michael Davis was considered Washington’s third cornerback but did not play one defensive snap. He did participate in 12 snaps on special teams. Starter Emmanuel Forbes dealt with an injury and struggled. He played 35 snaps and was relieved by Noah Igbinoghene (44%) on the outside.
Safety Percy Butler also saw action on defense, playing 25 snaps.
Undrafted rookies Colson Yankoff and Tyler Owens each played 16 snaps on special teams.
