5 Commanders Draft Picks Fighting to Survive Final Roster Cuts

The Washington Commanders have reached the point in the season where draft status is no longer a top factor in keeping a player, compared to what that player has actually shown or how they fit on the final 53-man roster. GM Adam Peters has spoken before about developing a meritocracy, where players are judged not by how they were brought in, but on what they bring to the table. This weekend will be the perfect time to test that idea as several former draft picks have been flirting with the roster bubble for weeks now. By no means is that saying that the following five players will, in fact, be cut, but each has enough competition around him that his place on the roster cannot be considered completely secure.

Javontae Jean-Baptiste

Javontae Jean-Baptiste was the 222nd pick in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL Draft and has had a cloudy path to where he is presently. After suffering a torn pectoral muscle in Week 4, he went on to miss the rest of the 2025 season, which left him in a bad spot coming into this year after Peters went edge-rusher heavy in free agency. Despite getting a sack during Washington's second preseason game against Detroit, Jean-Baptiste is feeling roster pressure from surging rookie Joshua Josephs, and both players have established veterans already in front of them on the depth chart. The Baltimore game will ultimately be his final preseason opportunity to prove Washington still needs his developmental upside enough to warrant a roster spot on the final 53.

Javontae Jean-Baptiste with a great sack against the Lions in the preseason. pic.twitter.com/pcGmMnDfgm
— Tom Zwiller (@TomZwiller) August 22, 2026

Jordan Magee

Jordan Magee is another player who has fallen victim to the team replenishing his position room. Taken with the 139th overall pick in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, Magee has done nothing to play himself off the roster. The fact is, the team has Frankie Luvu, Sonny Styles, and Leo Chenal already covering spots, while Washington has kept bringing in linebackers and evaluating the depth behind them. Magee's experience and athletic ability certainly keep him central to the conversation, but the sheer numbers in the room make him a player who cannot afford a quiet finish to preseason.

Dyami Brown

Dyami Brown is the highest-drafted player on this list, having been the 82nd overall pick in the third round for Washington in the 2021 NFL Draft, before Peters was part of the organization. Brown left Washington last season via free agency and played for Jacksonville in 2025, before returning this year in free agency. He has NFL experience along with the big-play ability he's shown along the way, but Washington’s receiver room has become increasingly difficult to crack with Terry McLaurin, Stefon Diggs, and several younger receivers competing for roles. Antonio Williams, Jaylin Lane, and Jaden Bradley are three names of younger options who are positioned to make an impact with Washington; Brown currently offers more than these three on just about everything besides maybe upside. He's also tried to move beyond being only a vertical threat by improving his route work this past offseason. Baltimore will be his last chance to secure what we thought was once a relatively safe roster lock.

can't be contained@deuce2_ | #RaiseHail pic.twitter.com/8HYFsVhtga
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) August 27, 2026

Percy Butler

Percy Butler is another player left over from the previous braintrust. Taken with the 113th overall pick in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, Butler's value has been steeped in depth and special teams rather than an actual defensive role. With Washington’s safety room now including Nick Cross, Quan Martin, and Jeremy Reaves, along with younger players also trying to make the roster, like Tyler Owens, Butler's chances seem to thin a bit each time we have this conversation. He is still very much part of the special teams conversation, and his experience works in his favor, but Washington has to decide whether that experience outweighs the versatility and upside offered by younger options.

Kain Medrano

Kain Medrano was the 205th pick in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, and he currently finds himself inside the same crowded linebacker room that is affecting Magee. Medrano brings athleticism and developmental potential that the staff still finds appealing, but that doesn't mean they can keep every player who shows something. More than likely, his roster spot will come down to special teams and whether the staff believes his upside provides more value than keeping another veteran or more experienced linebacker. That makes the final preseason game in Baltimore ultra-important to him, as one strong performance could still separate Medrano from the others in the room.

What makes this group interesting is that none of them is an obvious cut, which is why this final weekend matters so much. Brown and Butler were inherited from previous regimes even though Brown was re-signed via free agency this past offseason. Jean-Baptiste, Magee, and Medrano are decisions Peters originally made as part of his rebuild plan. The team's final cuts will certainly indicate how willing Washington is to move on from draft picks when the competition around them produces better options.

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