Five preseason takeaways for the Washington Commanders

The NFL preseason is a wrap, and for the Washington Commanders, their three-game slate ended with a 20-10 victory over the New England Patriots on Sunday night.

Before the Commanders suit up again to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, there will be plenty of roster decisions made involving cuts and depth-chart moves. Here are five takeaways from Washington's preseason performance that could potentially impact some of those moves.

1. Jayden Daniels can be special... 

For obvious reasons, the player whom Commanders fans were most excited to see this preseason was No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels, last year's Heisman Trophy winner and the quarterback of Washington's future. Daniels was named the Week 1 starter, and he wasted no time showing what he's capable of, rushing for a touchdown and throwing some absolute darts in his first appearance against the New York Jets.

Daniels ended his preseason completing 12-of-15 passes for 123 yards while adding 16 rushing yards on three attempts including a score.

2. ...but we need to see more

Ultimately though, that is a very small sample size, and one that leaves fans still with more questions than answers. It's understandable that Washington wouldn't want to put its prized selection in danger during exhibition games, but it may not have been a bad idea to give Daniels more reps. One can only hope he can adapt as quickly in the regular season as he did during the preseason.

3. Who will step up as WR2?

Washington's lack of depth at wide receiver was a concern even before trading away Jahan Dotson last week. Now, it's a glaring black hole on the Commanders' roster, and it's unclear who may start at the position alongside Terry McLaurin for Week 1. No one exactly distanced themselves throughout the preseason, so it's looking like the team's next-best weapons could be its RBs and TEs.

That said, the opportunity is still out there — so who will it be? Could Dyami Brown take a jump in production? How about rookie Luke McCaffrey? Perhaps free-agent acquisition Olamide Zaccheaus? All that's for sure is Washington's WR room will have lots of names competing to earn snaps.

4. Need more defensive playmaking

Washington bringing in head coach Dan Quinn and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. — both with the Dallas Cowboys a season ago — were moves that were expected to boost the team's defensive playmaking. If that's going to be the case, then the Commanders will need to vastly improve on how they performed in the preseason in that regard. Washington only recorded six sacks as a team through three games and forced two turnovers.

5. Wiley, Owens, Allen among UDFA standouts

It's never easy for an undrafted free agent to make the 53-man roster, but there always seem to be at least one or two every year. For the Commanders, RB Michael Wiley seems the likeliest candidate to do so this season after impressing with 67 yards on 17 carries along with two rushing touchdowns. If Washington elects to keep four RBs, then he should make the roster in addition to Brian Robinson Jr., Austin Ekeler and Chris Rodriguez Jr.

Tyler Owens also stood out on the defensive side of the ball, recording seven tackles as a defensive back. Given the Commanders' lack of depth at that position, he could sneak onto the roster. Finally, Kazmeir Allen — in his second preseason with Washington after going undrafted in 2023 — seems likely to make the team as the starting kick returner. Allen averaged 23.5 yards on four kick returns during the preseason.