The Washington Commanders’ 2024 rookie class could eventually be remembered as the one that changed the course of the franchise. Led by quarterback Jayden Daniels, the Commanders won 12 games, appeared in the NFC championship game and had their best season in 33 years.
Daniels won the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award for his outstanding play and already looks like one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks. One of Washington’s three second-round picks, cornerback Mike Sainristil, was a Day 1 starter who proved he could start in the slot or at outside cornerback.
Third-round pick Brandon Coleman was excellent, too, starting 12 of the 16 games he played at left tackle. The rest of Washington’s large rookie class was a mixed bag. Some battled injuries, while others were behind more established veterans.
So, while everyone will be focused on the new rookie class, the Commanders expect several of last season’s rookies to make a big leap in 2025.
“It’s easy to forget they were rookies in the same spot last year,” head coach Dan Quinn said of Daniels and Sainristil. “But I also smiled because they don’t know still what [GM] Adam [Peters] and I know that they’re about to make a big jump into going from year one into year two. And that’s one of the biggest jumps and there’s excitement in that.”
Then, Quinn turned his attention to some of Washington’s other second-year players.
“So, I thought of guys like [T] Brandon [Coleman] and [WR] Luke [McCaffrey] and Johnny [DT Jer’Zhan Newton] and TO [S Tyler Owens] and [LB] Jordan [Magee], [TE] Ben [Sinnott], [TE Colson] Yankoff, [DE] Javante [Jean-Baptiste], Dom [LB Dominique Hampton], all of them,” Quinn continued. “I’m excited to see where they’re going to go because they’re ready to take this next jump and there’s excitement in growing and learning and they’re exactly where I’d hope they’d be going into this camp and eager to take that next stop and that next jump of where they’re going to go.”
Several of these players have received praise already this offseason, whether from coaches or teammates. Magee, Coleman, McCaffrey and Sinnott were all praised this week for their performances during the team’s minicamp. Coleman played left tackle last season, but will start at left guard this season after the Commanders acquired Laremy Tunsil and Josh Conerly Jr. Coleman played guard in college, so it’s not a complicated move for him.
Washington hopes Magee can spell future Hall of Fame linebacker Bobby Wagner and eventually succeed him. McCaffrey and Sinnott are poised for increased roles on offense in 2025.
When questioning why the Commanders didn’t make specific moves in the offseason, perhaps they were expecting this big jump from their second-year players in 2025.
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