The Washington Commanders are 8-5 at their bye week, which exceeds just about everyone's preseason expectations. General manager Adam Peters instantly flipped the script from rebuilding to re-tooling and contending.
Fans shouldn't expect a Super Bowl in the first year of the Peters regime, but this team can certainly secure a playoff spot and wreak havoc among the NFC. Every fan is ecstatic with the way this season has turned out after years of disappointment.
Exceeding expectations does not happen without several players' stock rising throughout the season. Let's look at four players that fit that description to a tee.
Commanders players with soaring stock at the 2024 bye week
Mike Sainristil - Commanders CB
Jayden Daniels deserves the recognition he is getting for becoming the franchise quarterback after being drafted at No. 2 overall. However, Mike Sainristil may be the biggest steal of the Commanders' star-studded 2024 draft class.
Sainristil has proven that he is going to be a great cornerback for years to come. As a prospect coming out of Michigan, he was evaluated more as a nickel in the NFL. Instead, he has shown his elite ability as a boundary cornerback after being shoved into that spot due to the lackluster room.
The defensive back showed he is an elite boundary cornerback after holding superstar wide receiver A.J. Brown to two receptions for 31 yards on three targets in the Week 11 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Something that earned Sainristil a 90.0 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus.
Although this was the game where Sainristil started getting more media praise, he has been playing at a borderline-elite level since Week 3. Peters and Dan Quinn have found a franchise cornerback in the first-year pro.
Sheldon Day - Commanders DL
A player who has had their stock skyrocket more recently is defensive tackle Sheldon Day. It happened out of nowhere, as he was one of the best players in the Commanders' loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 10. He earned an 89.9 grade from Pro Football Focus and racked up three stops against the run to enhance his influence.
Ever since his breakout game against Pittsburgh, he hasn't looked back. Day has become a valuable piece of the Commanders' defensive line in a short timeframe, which is impressive considering his late arrival.
Day has been a stalwart in the run defense for the Commanders and has racked up a few pressures. Jonathan Allen going down to a season-ending injury was a huge loss for the defense, but the veteran has done a fine job filling in.
Frankie Luvu - Commanders LB
One of the biggest signings of the offseason was linebacker Frankie Luvu. It was a tremendous piece of business by Peters.
Luvu has been a thorn in every offense in multiple different ways. On one play he will be putting pressure on the quarterback, the next he'll be blowing up a run play, and then getting a pass deflection. The former undrafted free agent out of Washington State is not just an elite linebacker, he is elite at every aspect of the position.
Quinn and Joe Whitt had a vision for what they wanted their defense to look like. Luvu is their version of Micah Parsons.
Luvu is not a true edge rusher like Parsons. He is more versatile, but he lines up both at edge rusher and linebacker, which allows him to impact proceedings in various ways on any given down.
He has compiled 82 tackles, 26 pressures, eight sacks, and five pass deflections through 13 games. Luvu's been nothing short of a revelation.
Chris Rodriguez Jr. - Commanders RB
Chris Rodriguez Jr. earned this spot going into the bye week. After living on the Commanders' practice squad for the majority of the season, the running back was signed onto the active roster after Austin Ekeler's unfortunate concussion in Week 12.
The match-up against the Tennessee Titans was Rodriguez's third active game of the season, but this time it seems he is going to stay on the team for the rest of 2024 whether Ekeler returns or not.
Brian Robinson Jr. is still the lead back in the rotation, but Rodriguez has deservedly entered consideration for carries. The former sixth-round selection took over the game against the Titans and produced like his job depended on it.
Jeremy McNichols may be more fit to take over Ekeler's role, but Rodriguez has more than proved he should be a part of the running back rotation. This is exactly why his stock is soaring entering the bye week.
