The Washington Commanders opened up the preseason with a 23-21 home loss against the Carolina Panthers on Saturday. Washington erased a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to briefly take the lead, but Carolina answered back with a go-ahead field goal in the last minute.

Despite the loss, some players put on solid performances to make fans optimistic. Rookie quarterback Sam Howell impressed in his debut with 145 passing yards and two rushing touchdowns. On defense, players far down the depth chart such as Jeremy Reaves and Steven Parker shined in limited action.

However, not every Commanders player performed up to their potential. Some players struggled in the preseason opener, and they'll need to rebound if they want to make the roster. Let's look at three such players.

3 Commanders players who struggled in preseason opener

3. Bunmi Rotimi

The Washington pass rush performed relatively well on Saturday, with three sacks in the game. While the starters didn't play much and Carolina has one of the league's weaker offensive lines, it's still an encouraging sign for a pass rush that was just average in 2021.

While the pass rush succeeded, Rotimi had a day to forget. The second-year defensive end had just a single tackle on the day, with no quarterback hits either.

Rotimi signed with Washington as an undrafted free agent out of Old Dominion before last season. He saw the field very sparingly, with just 10 tackles and a single sack in nine games played. He's also relatively old for a second-year player at 27 years old.

Washington has Rotimi as a fourth-string defensive end on its most recent depth chart. If he wants to keep his spot on the roster, he will need a strong performance in his next outing.

2. Reggie Bonnafon

Washington has a strong running back room with Antonio Gibson, J.D. McKissic and rookie Brian Robinson. If other running backs want a chance at making a roster, they'll need to show out in the preseason to prove they're worth it. Fourth-stringer Jonathan Williams impressed with over six yards per carry, but others, especially Bonnafon, struggled on Saturday.

The fourth-year running back had just two carries for five yards in the game to go with one catch for nine yards. Bonnafon joined Washington this offseason after a three-year stint with Carolina, in which he had 189 rushing yards and one touchdown. Last season, he had just one carry for four yards on the entire year.

The Commanders have Bonnafon as their sixth-string running back on the depth chart, so he's already fighting an uphill battle to make the roster. Still, if he wants any chance to make it, he needs to show out soon.

1. Shaka Toney

Toney is another pass rusher on the fringes of Washington's roster who failed to make an impact on Saturday. While Rotimi at least had one tackle on the game, Toney didn't record a single one. The only impact he made on the stat sheet was just one quarterback hit.

Washington selected Toney out of Penn State in the seventh round of last year's draft. He was a depth piece last season, appearing in 10 games and even starting one. In his limited playing time, he recorded eight tackles and 1.5 sacks last season.

The Commanders' defensive line is pretty strong, so competition for roster spots is stiff. Toney is a third-stringer right now, just ahead of Rotimi. He will need to prove he can be effective at the NFL level if he wants to hang onto a roster spot.