Quan Martin Is Running Out of Time to Answer Commanders’ Biggest Safety Question

Draft pedigree and raw athletic tools only buy so much time in the NFL. As the Commanders look for concrete answers in a shifting secondary, former second-round pick Quan Martin enters a high-pressure training camp fighting to transform potential into certainty.

Sep 28, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London (5) is tackled by Washington Commanders cornerback Trey Amos (23) and safety Quan Martin (20) during the first half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Quan Martin Is Running Out of Time to Answer Commanders’ Biggest Safety Question

Quan Martin is not one of those Washington Commanders players fighting just to be noticed when training camp opens. That would make this conversation much easier.

The harder question is whether the Commanders have already waited long enough to know what they have in him.

That does not mean Martin is out of chances. It also does not mean Washington has already made some final decision about the safety room before camp begins. This is not the time of year to treat any unofficial depth chart as gospel, because the real sorting does not happen on a website in the summer. It happens when the pads come on, the defense starts communicating at full speed, and the coaching staff gets a clearer picture of who can actually be trusted.

For Martin, that is what makes training camp so important.

He came into the league as a second-round pick in 2023, which means the Commanders did not draft him as some long-shot developmental piece. They invested real capital in a defensive back they believed could become a versatile, dependable part of the secondary.

There certainly have been flashes. There has been some production. There has been enough athletic ability to understand why Washington liked him coming out of Illinois. But at some point, the conversation has to shift.

Martin is entering the stage of his career where potential cannot be the main selling point anymore. The Commanders need more than the idea of what he might become. They need to know whether he can be part of the solution for a defense that still has too many questions on the back end.

Quan Martin putting in work pic.twitter.com/0tQ3uzIKqa

— 106.7 The Fan (@1067theFan) June 9, 2026

Washington Needs More Certainty at Safety

The safety room is one of the more interesting spots on the roster because there are names there, but not enough answers that feel completely settled.

Washington added Nick Cross this offseason and still has players like Martin, Will Harris, Jeremy Reaves, Percy Butler, Tyler Owens, and others in the mix. That gives the Commanders options, which is a good thing. It also means nobody should walk into training camp assuming anything is already decided. That is especially true given how last season went.

The Commanders allowed 451 points in 2025, which was among the worst marks in the league. That kind of number is never about one player or one position, but it does put pressure on everyone involved in the middle and back end of the defense.

Free safety, strong safety, nickel, corner, linebacker, pass rush — all of it connects.

When a defense gives up too many explosive plays or struggles to get off the field, the safety room becomes a natural place to look. Not because every breakdown belongs there, but because the position is supposed to help clean things up before one mistake turns into six points. That is where Martin has to prove he can be trusted.

Martin Has Played Enough for the Question to Change

Rewatching the game. I know we’ll talk about Bill, JD5, Deebo, McCaffrey, etc. a lot tomorrow, but that Quan Martin forced fumble was massive. The Chargers were up 10-0 and driving. Just a huge momentum shifter.

pic.twitter.com/w5nO9Z2IQ9

— John-Paul Flaim (@GlassJoeJP) October 6, 2025

Martin’s 2025 production was not empty. He finished with 99 total tackles, 52 solo stops, one forced fumble, and three passes defended. That tells you he was around the football. It also tells you he was involved enough to matter. But the numbers do not completely settle the conversation either.

The zero interceptions stand out, and while interceptions are not the only way to judge safety play, Washington needs more game-changing moments from the back end of its defense. A safety can play winning football without piling up picks, and some of the best work at the position never gets noticed because the quarterback decides not to throw the ball there.

Still, for a former second-round pick entering his fourth season, it is fair to want more. Not to mention the 15 missed tackles last season left a lot to be desired. Including one of the worst ever below.

D'ANDRE SWIFT 55 YARD-TD!

CHIvsWAS on ABC
Stream on @NFLPlus and ESPN App pic.twitter.com/r8sJNYKjQU

— NFL (@NFL) October 14, 2025

Martin does not have to become a ballhawk overnight. He does not have to turn every deep throw into a highlight. But he does need to give the Commanders more evidence that he can change games, not simply survive them.

That is the difference between being a capable piece and being part of the answer.

The Cross Addition Raises the Standard

The Nick Cross signing should not be framed as a direct indictment of Martin. That would be too simple. But it does raise the standard in the room.

Cross gives Washington another athletic safety with starting experience and enough physicality to help shape how the defense wants to play. He is not here just to decorate the roster. The Commanders made that move because they needed more competition, more versatility, and more answers in the secondary.

Washington Commanders Safety Quan Martin's PFF Grades | Pro Football Focus

Martin's PFF grade of 48.5 ranked him 90th out of 98 qualified safeties in the league last season, which is the kind of number that makes projection harder to sell without real growth in camp.

That matters for Martin. Adding Cross could also create more chances for him to work in a big nickel role if the Commanders lean into more three-safety looks, especially with Harris capable of handling free safety responsibilities. But the bigger overall sign here is that Washington should have at least some concern about whether Martin is developing as planned.

Washington adding another legitimate piece to the room changed the conversation around Martin and made training camp a more honest place for everyone.

Martin still controls much of this. A strong camp can change the entire conversation. If he communicates well, limits mistakes, takes good angles, and shows more comfort in coverage, there is still a very clear path for him to become an important part of the defense.

But if he does not separate himself, Washington has enough capable players in the room to keep searching for a better combination. That is where the pressure comes from.

Training Camp Has to Provide a Clearer Answer

Sep 11, 2025; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (10) passes against Washington Commanders safety Quan Martin (20) in the third quarter at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Commanders are not asking him to be perfect or solve the entire secondary by himself. They do need a bit of clarity, though.

Seeing whether he can handle deep responsibilities with more consistency would be a positive. So would showing he can communicate well enough to help settle the players around him. More than anything, Washington needs to see whether he can turn his athletic tools into more reliable football when the defense is moving at full speed.

This is not about where Martin appears on a projected depth chart. It is about where he fits once the real work begins, and whether the coaching staff sees him as a player it can build with or another defensive back still trying to prove exactly what his role should be.

For a young player, that may sound harsh. For a former second-round pick entering his fourth season, it is simply the reality of the league. The Commanders have waited; it is no longer even the same front office that selected him. Martin has had time. Now he has to make the answer easier to understand.

Martin Still Has Time, But Not Forever

Man wtf happened to Quan Martin???@Commanders #RaiseHail pic.twitter.com/OKMph1Q1c6

— DLacks21 🫡 (@Cheddarbob804) December 31, 2025

There is still a lot to like about Martin’s situation because the door is not closed.

He is young enough to keep improving, experienced enough to understand what is being asked of him, and talented enough to force his way into the safety conversation in a serious way. The Commanders do not need to give up on that.

Washington has too many defensive questions for new defensive coordinator Daronte Jones to let safety remain one of them deep into the season. The Commanders need players on the back end who can bring stability, not more uncertainty. Martin has the draft pedigree, experience, and opportunity to become one of those players. But they also cannot keep waiting forever. Now he has to prove it.

Martin is not out of chances. But he is running out of time to make the Commanders stop asking whether he is still part of their biggest safety question.

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