RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Reviewing the roster limit
As you are probably aware, the NFL CBA allows each team to have 90 players on its offseason roster, but it also makes provisions for a 91st player who joins the team via the International Player Pathway (IPP) program. For the last several years, the Commanders have made use of this IPP exemption, as they have again this season, so Washington’s offseason roster limit is once again 91 players.
Washington’s 91st player via the IPP is currently edge rusher TJ Maguranyanga , who spent the 2025 season with the Commanders as well.
Incredible level or roster change since the beginning of training camp
I’m not sure how obvious it’s been to casual observers, but in the 15 days that have passed since players took the field for the first day of training camp, the Commanders have announced 22 roster transactions! There is at least one more to come when the team announces Laremy Tunsil ’s revised status by the end of the month (he may not go onto IR until the initial cutdown to 53 players for ‘technical’ reasons).
I have grouped the transactions by type rather than chronological order for ease and digestibility:
Retired (3)
LB Nick Bellore
CB Ahkello Witherspoon
DT DJ Davidson
Released/waived (8)
Edge Andre Carter
TE Anthony Firsker
CB Tre Hawkins
OG Tyler Cooper
OG Tim McKay
OG Sala Aumavae-Laulu
WR Chris Hilton Jr
S Robert McDaniel
Signed (10)
WR Stefon Diggs
WR River Cracraft
OT Nicholas Petit-Frere
P Matt Haack
OL Max Scharping
OL Trey Hill
OL Daniel Brunskill
ILB Curtis Jacobs
DT Byron Cowart
CB Fabian Moreau
You will notice, perhaps, that there have been 11 departures but only 10 new players signed. This is because, on the first day of camp, I had already listed Rasul Douglas on the depth chart — listing 92 players at that time — without a corresponding move. Nick Bellore ’s retirement, announced at the start of camp, was that corresponding move.
Accounting for Laremy Tunsil
Conversely, while today’s chart lists 91 players, we know already that one of those players, LT Laremy Tunsil , will not be on the active roster in Week 1.
Timing counts for a lot with players who suffer major injuries in training camp. Here’s a quick explanation of the considerations under the relevant NFL rules:
1. The Pre-Cutdown Rule (Season-Ending)
If the Commanders place Tunsil on IR during training camp before the final 53-man roster reduction deadline on August 30, 2026, he is automatically ruled out for the entire season . He would not be allowed to practice or play for Washington at any point during the year.
If doctors determine, post-surgery, that Tunsil will not be able to return to play prior to mid-February, then the Commanders might choose to exercise this option.
2. The Cutdown Day Exception (Designated to Return)
NFL rules allow teams:
a. to designate, on cutdown day, up to two injured players to return from IR during the season
b. alternatively, the team can carry him onto the initial 53-man roster and move him to IR the following day
(Option A is almost certainly the one that the Commanders would choose in Tunsil’s case)
This approach allows Tunsil to keep his season alive since it leaves the door open for him to return after sitting out a minimum of four games (obviously, in Tunsil’s case, it would be closer to 4 months than 4 games).
If doctors determine, post-surgery, that Tunsil’s return to play could happen prior to mid-February, then the Commanders might choose this option to keep all possibilities on the table for their left tackle. The only cost to the team is the opportunity to carry one more player on the training camp roster for two weeks.
Not your typical depth chart
The chart below is only a depth chart insofar as it assigns players to positions and stacks them in an order.
The primary purpose of the chart is to keep track of the 91 guys that currently comprise the training camp roster, not to predict gameday alignments.
You will note, for example, that I have 12 offensive position stacks and 13 defensive position stacks on the chart, despite the fact that a team can only field 11 players at one time.
You will also note that each player’s name appears only once regardless of the fact that he may play in multiple alignments or positions ( e.g., an interior offensive lineman who can play center and both guard spots will appear at only one of those positions, not all of them ). Again, this is by design since the goal is to provide handy visual reference of the 91 individual players while also offering an overall snapshot of team strength and depth. The bias, though, is to provide a visual list of the full roster, not so much to create a game-ready depth chart.
Finally, you will also note that, where players are capable of playing more than one position (and likely to do so on game days), my decision on where to align them may be very different from your idea of where they belong.
A few changes since the previous iteration of the preseason 91-man depth chart
Position consolidation
At s ome position groups where players frequently change alignments, I have consolidated the chart somewhat.
With the offensive line, for the most part, starters align in the same position nearly all the time, barring injury, though backup offensive linemen tend to cover at least two different positions. For the OL, I have not consolidated the chart.
Here are my notes on recent consolidation of certain other position groups:
Inside linebacker It’s unclear how many ILBs will be on the field at the same time from down to down. Traditionally, in a 3-4 defense, there would be two, but Daronte Jones could opt for just one in certain 3-safety alignments, or three in 4-3 alignments or when using one of them as a ‘walk up’ LB as part of a simulated or actual pass rush. I have one group for ILB displayed graphically in 3 stacks.
Defensive line Similary, DL personnel packages and alignments are expected to be fluid in Daronte Jones’ scheme. Daro...
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