For a not insignificant amount of time, the Washington Commanders have seemingly had their secondary held in place with scotch tape.
That was underlined in the last few seasons with the failure of cornerback and 2023 first round pick Emmanuel Forbes, who was cut halfway through his second season and represented one of the worst first round busts in recent franchise history.
Now, headed into 2025, there’s a feeling the Commanders might be pretty good at cornerback, and if they can get some help at safety they might have a really good to potentially great group of defensive backs on their hands.
Specifically, safety Quan Martin is being looked at as key to making that happen. While the Commanders might be stacked at cornerback, they watched safety Jeremy Chinn walk out the door in free agency after his own breakout year in 2024.
Chinn started all 17 games for the Commanders in 2024 with career highs of 117 tackles, 7 TFL, 2 fumble recoveries and 5 pass deflections while playing on a 1-year, $4.1 million contract. He turned that into a 2-year, $16.2 million free agent contract with the Las Vegas Raiders.
“Safety Quan Martin has breakout potential, or at least the staff feels that way,” The Athletic’s Ben Standig wrote on June 19. “Don’t expect Will Harris to replace Jeremy Chinn directly, even though that’s the general story. Chinn provided hard hitting, while Harris’ strength is positional versatility. Rotating across multiple spots in live action is crucial when facing shifting offensive formations.”
Martin Improved Draft Stock In Final College Season
Martin, 6-foot and 195 pounds, was an All-Big Ten pick his final season at Illinois in 2022 after putting up career highs in tackles (64), interceptions (3) and pass deflections (11). He solidified his draft stock by running the 40-yard dash in 4.46 seconds at Pro Day along with ridiculous marks in the vertical jump (44 inches) and broad jump (11 feet, 1 inch).
That type of production and athleticism propelled Martin into the second round, where the Commanders picked him at No. 47 overall.
“Versatile cornerback/safety prospect with the size and physical talent to play nickel back or align as a deep safety,” NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote in his pre-draft evaluation. “A buttery smooth hip swivel allows him to glide and transition effectively from his pedal … Martin’s speed and explosiveness at the NFL Scouting Combine was eye-catching, but he needs to play consistently to that speed on the field. A team will need to decide where to play him, but he has the potential to become an early contributor and a starter further down the road.”
Steadily Improving Over First 2 Seasons in NFL
Martin started 5 games at nickel back as a rookie and finished with 46 tackles, 2 interceptions and 4 pass deflections. He turned into a full time starter in 2024 under new head coach Dan Quinn and showed he was up to the task, starting 16 games with 87 tackles, 3 forced fumbles and 1 interception.
Martin was even better in Washington’s run to the NFC Championship Game and in his first playoff appearances. In 3 postseason games, Martin had 12 tackles, one pass deflection and had a 40-yard interception return for a touchdown in an upset win over the No. 1 seed Detroit Lions in the NFC Divisional Round.
Martin is also playing for big money in 2025 — a big year could propel him into extension talks with 2026 being the final season of his 4-year, $7.6 million rookie contract.
