Commanders Cuts: Who Could Say Goodbye to Washington?
ASHBURN, Va. -- The Washington Commanders fell to the Carolina Panthers 23-21 in their first preseason action of the season.
While the team lost the game, some of the players lost more, as they'll soon see their names on the NFL transaction list as a player dismissed from training camp.
Here are five guys who may fall victim to cuts when the Commanders trim down to 85 players prior to 4 p.m. on Tuesday.
OG Nolan Laufenberg
The last we saw Laufenberg he was getting some strong coaching for poor technique on multiple reps, and not finishing on one, one-on-one rep on the first day of padded practice, and then later was limping off the practice field.
We haven't seen him since, and he didn't play in the preseason opener.
Poor effort and technique aren't going to endear a guy on the roster bubble to his coaching staff, and an injury designation may be the final straw to leading Laufenberg off the premises.
TE Eli Wolf
Nearly half of Washington's tight ends were inactive Saturday as Logan Thomas, John Bates, and Cole Turner all missed the game due to injuries.
On top of that, Sammis Reyes played zero offensive snaps and just two on special teams.
This opened the door to opportunity for guys like Eli Wolf, Armani Rogers and Curtis Hodges.
While both Rogers and Hodges played 26 or more snaps on offense, Wolf got just two, and added two more on special teams.
Given the level of competition and depth here, Wolf is likely to find himself in search of another opportunity by end of day Tuesday.
OT Alex Akingbulu
Another offensive lineman who could see his time cut short is a guy who got a late start, joining the team as training camp was getting started.
Staying on the roster as a late arrival is difficult, and with one guard on the list, this is the offensive tackle most likely to be leaving after playing just 11 snaps this preseason.
LB Tre Walker
Washington brought linebacker Nate Gerry in just one week ahead of their first cut day, so it's safe to say the team didn't do it because they love the depth at the position.
This makes it more likely we'll see a cut come from the position, and Tre Walker who recently retired and then unretired may be the odd man out.
DT Tyler Clark
Truth be told, there are several candidates for this last spot, and the defensive backs room or running backs room could use some trimming to get more focus in the reps.
But, it feels like the interior defensive line depth is a little more known than the other positions might be, so we're going Tyler Clark here.
With second-round rookie Phidarian Mathis looking solid in camp along with David Bada, the Commanders are already solid in depth without even thinking too much about it.
Added to a group of defensive ends who also show ability when shifted inside on occasion, and the versatility there is enough to warrant thinning this group a bit, on this first cut down of the season.
The Commanders will be down to 85, whether any of these names make the cut or not, as training camp continues down the path towards the start of the regular season.
