The Washington Commanders 2023 training camp starts on July 25 (July 21 for rookies) at OrthoVirginia Training Center at Commanders Park in Ashburn, Virginia. That is where head coach Ron Rivera and company will figure out the Commanders' roster for this season that will help the team try to get back into the playoffs for just the sixth time this century. This means there will be some tough or surprising cuts before the team kicks off Week 1 vs. the Arizona Cardinals, and players like tight end Logan Thomas, quarterback Jake Fromm, and running back Jonathan Williams could be on the chopping block.
TE Logan Thomas
This would be the most surprising Commanders' roster cut in training camp, but it is a possibility. Logan Thomas is no doubt the TE1 on the depth chart right now, but that could change quickly. And if it does, the 33-year-old who’s missed 14 games in the past two seasons and will count for $8.6 million against the cap next season could be out.
Thomas had a disappointing season last year. He played in a respectable 14 games but only caught 39 balls for 323 yards and one touchdown.
Quarterback Sam Howell will need more from his TE this season, as will new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. The OC has gotten used to the best TE in the league, Travis Kelce, over the last five seasons in Kansas City.
The Commanders have an interesting TE group heading into training camp. In addition to Thomas, there is last year’s TE2, John Bates, Cole Turner, Armani Rogers, Brandon Dillon, and Curtis Hodges.
Dillon, who played in the XFL last season, is a longshot, but Bates, Turner, Rogers, and Hodges are all intriguing prospects. Bates was a fourth-round pick in 2021, Turner went in the fifth round of 2022, and Rogers and Hodges were undrafted free agents that same year.
They are all in the Logan Thomas mold. All four are 6-foot-5 or taller (Hodges is 6-foot-8), and Rogers is even a converted QB like Thomas. If Bieniemy can work some of his magic on one or more of these players (Turner is the most likely to step up), then Thomas could be out.
QB Jake Fromm
It looked like Jake Fromm was going to be a star in the NFL after he beat out Jacob Eason and made Justin Fields transfer from Georgia. However, it simply hasn’t worked out for Jake “From State” Fromm in the pros.
He’s now the No. 3 QB on the Commanders' roster, but that might not hold true for long. Second-year QB Sam Howell is the team’s QB1 heading into training camp. This makes a lot of sense for the organization, as he’ll either succeed and become the franchise QB or fail miserably and give Washington a shot at top 2024 draft prospects Caleb Williams from USC or Drake Maye, who replace Howell at North Carolina.
Either way, with Jacoby Brissett as the veteran backup, there is no real need for Fromm. The team will be much better off taking a flyer on the undrafted rookie out of Fordham, Tim DeMorat, than keeping a below-average veteran like Fromm on the roster.
RB Jonathan Williams
Commanders RB Jonathan Williams did a solid job holding down the team’s RB3 role last season. He carried the ball 37 times for 152 yards (4.1 yards per carry) and caught seven balls for 40 yards.
However, since the Commanders' roster will likely include fullback Alex Armah, there will probably be just three halfbacks on the depth chart coming out of camp, and Williams may not be one of them.
Washington took a chance on Kentucky RB Chris Rodriguez Jr. in the sixth round of the NFL draft this year, and he has the inside track to start the year as RB3.
Rodriguez is a talented back who ran afoul of the law several times at Kentucky with a DUI arrest and filling out improper time cards at his job. That’s why he dropped so far in the draft, and the Commanders got a bargain because of it.
The team already has two stud backs in Brian Robinson Jr. and Antonio Gibson. If Rodriguez keeps his nose clean and comes good on the field as well, that could be one of the best and deepest backfields in the NFL.
Rodriguez will have to impress at Commanders training camp and keep his nose clean. But if he does, that probably ends Williams’ time with the franchise.