Who does PFF view as Commanders’ breakout player in 2023?

Who is a potential breakout player for the Washington Commanders in 2023?

Quarterback Sam Howell comes to mind, of course; that depends on who you talk to, as some think Howell is the NFL’s worst starting quarterback, while there are others who are high on his potential.

What about third-year wide receiver Dyami Brown? Howell’s former college teammate had a huge game against the Tennessee Titans in Week 5 last season and was rarely used again.

According to Pro Football Focus, which names one breakout player for every NFC team in 2023, that player is Washington safety Kamren Curl.

Wait, what?

We could argue that Curl broke out as a seventh-round pick during his rookie season in 2020. Now in line to receive a contract extension, Curl has quietly become one of Washington’s most valuable defensive players, and his absence was evident in the five games he missed for the Commanders in 2022.

Here’s PFF’s explanation on Curl:

Similarly to Neal, Curl’s breakout would be him being able to play an entire season at the level he’s shown before. Curl was PFF’s second-highest-graded safety in 2022 (82.9), but he has yet to play more than 900 snaps in a season and ranked 58th among safeties in snaps played in 2022 (727).

Is this really fair? In his first two NFL seasons, Curl only missed one game. 

Washington’s defense, particularly the secondary, looked lost without Curl during the first two games and in Weeks 16 and 17. With the additions of cornerbacks Emmanuel Forbes and Quan Martin to the secondary for 2023, Curl could be in line for his best season yet. 

The Commanders likely want to lock Curl down to a multi-year extension but are likely waiting until new owner Josh Harris officially takes over.