While the Washington Commanders secondary wasn’t flashy in 2024, they were hardly the struggling group anyone seems to remember.
The Commanders defense finished fourth in the NFL in passing yards allowed. They allowed 25 passing touchdowns, which was right in the middle of the pack. So was their 93.9 passer rating allowed. So they were either average of above average in some cases.
What the Commanders didn’t have was highlight reel plays — they were 28th in the NFL with 7 interceptions during the regular season but put together one highlight play after another in the playoffs on the way to making the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 1991.
That hasn’t stopped the criticism of the secondary rolling in ahead of 2025, when the Commanders enter the season as Super Bowl contenders for the first time in a generation.
“I mean, they were just putrid on the back end, and they didn’t really add anybody that makes you, you know, feel like they’re going to fix that anytime soon,” former NFL offensive lineman and Super Bowl champion Marshall Newhouse said on “The Mina Kimes Show” on July 10. “I like (defensive coordinator) Joe Whitt Jr. a lot … he’s well regarded around the league. He’s been a guy who people were clamoring for, for coordinator and head coach jobs, but he’s got his work cut out for him with this secondary.”
Commanders Made Big Trade For Veteran CB
While Newhouse is probably being a bit too harsh, it just takes one look at the depth chart to realize the Commanders are just one injury or one bad game away from what balance they do have their falling apart.
On the flip side, they’re also one big game or one breakout season from having one of the NFL’s best secondaries.
One player who could very well determine the trajectory of Washington’s season is 4-time Pro Bowl cornerback Marshon Lattimore, who the Commanders acquired in a midseason trade with the New Orleans Saints in November 2024.
Lattimore struggled with hamstring issues and missed 6 regular season games after the trade. He returned for the final 2 games and 3 playoff games — although he made little to no positive impact.
The Commanders gave up a lot for Lattimore — their 2025 third, fourth and sixth round picks. In order to be successful in 2025, the Commanders need him back at the elite level he played at in New Orleans.
Lattimore is due to make to make $18 million in 2025 and $36.5 million over the final 2 seasons of the 5-year, $97.6 million contract extension he signed with the Saints in September 2021.
Commanders Could Have Trio Of Breakout Stars
One thing no one has accounted for is the youth in the Commanders secondary — one that could include a trio of breakout stars in second year cornerback Mike Sainristil, rookie cornerback Trey Amos and third year safety Quan Martin.
The Commanders felt good enough about Martin they let fellow starting safety Jeremy Chinn leave in free agency. Sainristil seemed to get better every game and ended up with 4 interceptions, which was 2 in the regular season and 2 in the postseason.
Amos, 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds, was a second round pick (No. 61 overall) who had 3 interceptions in his final college season at Alabama in 2024.
