While the Washington Commanders 2026 practice squad may have been “finalized”, is it really finished? Or is it just a work in progress? If you break down a couple of fine points, you might come to the conclusion that the list will look very different in a week or two.
Here is the official Washington Commanders 2026 practice squad:
- QB Sam Hartman
- DT Byron Cowart*
- RB Craig Reynolds*
- LB DJ Johnson*
- DL Jeffrey M’ba
- WR Jaden Bradley
- LB Ale Kaho
- CB Fred Davis
- C Julian Good-Jones
- RB Robert Henry Jr.
- OL Trent Scott*
- CB Darius Rush
- T Esa Pole
- TE Joshua Simon
- TE Jack Westover
- CB Isaac Yiadom*
- CB Terell Smith
Quarterback
Sam Hartman is assuredly disappointed that he lost out to rookie Athan Kaliakmanis for the third quarterback spot, but he’s no stranger to the practice squad. There will be plenty of ladies happy that Washington kept him around.
Cornerbacks
There are four cornerbacks on the practice squad. That’s 1/4 of the guys.
That seems like a knee jerk reaction to not loving the four you have on the 53-man roster. Some of that reaction definitely comes from CB1 Trey Amos being put on injured reserve to start the season. He will not be available until Week 5.
No disrespect to Terell Smith, Isaac Yiadom, Darius Rush and Fred Davis II, but the Commanders could do with trimming this to two. Especially if anything tickles their fancy at another position of need, like center.
Smith was just added but may be a legitimate option. He played in 26 games (6 starts) in two seasons with the Bears. The third year corner suffered a torn patellar tendon in the 2025 preseason and spent the entire season on injured reserve.
There are some that also believe that Commanders safety Tyler Owens may get some playing time in the slot.
Running Backs
Two running backs seems like a luxury. Both Robert Henry Jr. and Craig Reynolds are good backs. So unless there’s something better at another position and you need to make room, why not keep them both for now? Especially given that both RB1 candidates Bill Croskey-Merritt and Rachaad White have been sidelined with injuries for the entrire preseason.
Henry Jr. looked great in the first preseason game, rushing for 75 yards on 12 carries, with a 22-yard touchdown.
Reynolds has been around the block a few times, but that also means that he is not quite as “secure” on the practice squad as Henry is. Teams can only carry six players with more than two years experience, so Reynolds could easily be dropped if another player of experience pops up at a different position.
Both the running backs and the cornerbacks will certainly be a lot more swappable come Week 5 with the expected return of Amos and RB Jeremy McNicholls.
Tight Ends
The addition of two tight ends on Tuesday is in response to Ben Sinnott’s oblique injury. Jack Westover played for the New England Patriots the past two seasons. Joshua Simon was with the Atlanta Falcons practice squad in 2025, and was a late cut on Sunday.
The Commanders add two tight ends to the PS at point where Ben Sinnott is dealing with an oblique injury.
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) September 1, 2026
Lance Newmark says the additions are not related to the 53.
Interesting that Cager isn't here as well.
????
Offensive Line Depth
Washington have three offensive linemen on the 2026 practice squad – Julian Good-Jones, Trent Scott, and Esa Pole – a center and two tackles. Good-Jones is the only interior line depth that the Commanders have should any injuries occur. That’s significant given that Nick Allegretti only returned to practice yesterday and has been banged up for all of training camp.
Pole just arrived yesterday via the Kansas City Chiefs. The 6’7″ 320-pounder will likely go head-to-head with Scott for the first week to establish depth. Pole started four games for the Chiefs in 2025 as a rookie.
Cowart
Defensive tackle Byron Cowart had to have been disappointed on release day. He made some solid plays in the preseason and made himself a tough cut. He’s been in and out of NFL lineups since 2019, and last started seven games for the Bears in 2024. It’s hard not to root for the guy. Still, there are worse ways to make a living than on an NFL practice squad.
He has to keep working hard in his reps and hope for an opportunity.
A Center?
A Center, a Center – my kingdom for a Center. Why haven’t the Commanders signed one? Because there aren’t any available. Look around. One cannot just produce talent from thin air.
It’s unlikely that there is going to be any movement on the Center front for the Commanders, so all eyes are on Nick Allegretti to not only stay healthy, but perform at a high level.
Conclusions
While the Washington Commanders 2026 practice squad may have been set, it most certainly is NOT final. There will inevitably be repeated changes throughout the first couple of weeks as the team irons out it’s depth chart.