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The Washington Commanders are getting a lot of love for the way they do things. However, that doesn’t mean they’ll be able to pull off a big trade this summer. Still, here is a rising Commanders rookie who is turning heads in the 2025 OTAs.
There’s little doubt the Commanders must improve on the back end of their defense if they want to push past the Eagles and Cowboys in the tough NFC East. So it’s great news that rookie second-round pick Trey Amos has been showing signs of being in the mix for important contributions this season.
However, it’s not a lock how much he will play right out of the gates, according to commanders.com.
“There's no telling at this point just how many snaps the second-round pick will get as a rookie or where he will land on depth chart, but Amos made the most of his snaps in seven-on-seven drills,” Zach Shelby wrote.
Commanders CB Trey Amos mixing it up with older players
Washington gave strong consideration to grabbing Amos in the first round. The Commanders were tickled that he remained on the board when their second pick came around.
“Amos … held his own against several of the team's veterans,” Shelby wrote. “In one of his more impressive plays, he managed to stay upright after his feet got tangled with Michael Gallup and got under a tipped pass for an interception on the second play of the drill. He nearly got a second one later in the day while working against Luke McCaffrey and kept up with Deebo Samuel when lined up against him.”
Amos is a physical press corner. His 6-foot-1, 195-pound frame contains the length to get his hands on receivers and disrupt their routes. Also, he has the potential to be a winner for 50-50 balls. That’s something that will come in handy if he matches up against Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens.
General manager Adam Peters said Amos can play different spots, but the team expects to use him on the perimeter. Meanwhile, Amos said he is learning from guys like Marshon Lattimore and Mike Sainristil.
“Everybody's game is different, but you can still learn from it,” Amos said. “Just keep on getting all the knowledge you can.”
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The Commanders didn’t get what they hoped from Lattimore last season. And even if Lattimore doesn’t live up to expectations in 2025, perhaps he can help Amos ascend to a legitimate starting cornerback by sharing his knowledge of the game and the league.
“I'm looking forward to learning from him, being in the same meetings, and seeing how everything rolls,” Amos said.
Amos said he believes Sanristil can provide similar help, even though he’s only in his second NFL season.
“It's gonna be real exciting,” Amos said. “I'm gonna be able to learn from his footsteps and learn his tools, learn how to communicate, and just be a sponge. Just soaking up all types of information. Really looking forward to it.”
Amos said he’s enjoying his time with the Commanders.
“It was a good setting, and I want to build to that, too,” Amos said. “I want to come in, be a good team player, and help the growth.”
Overall, the Commanders believe their defensive backfield can become closer to a strength than the liability it proved to be in 2024, according to Sports Illustrated.
“We’re really excited about the guys that we added,” defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. said. “We wanted to get bigger and longer. (And) we definitely did that up front. We did in the back end also with (Amos). So, the vision of how we want to play and how we want to be and how we want to look, you're seeing more of it right now from a size and length and speed standpoint.”
Whitt said Amos is “ahead of the curve.” That should be music to the ears of Commanders fans.
Also, Whitt spoke highly of the front end. he said he believes the criticized addition of tackle Javon Kinlaw will provide more positives than many people expect.
“He’s a uniquely big man that can bend and play with some power and speed,” Whitt said. “We will have the ability to move him up and down the line of scrimmage. So, we can put him wherever we want to because he has that type of skill set. He'll be difficult for tight ends to block if we put him in the six technique or if we kick him inside, he has the length that's going to be difficult for guards to deal with as well,” Whitt said of his lineman. “He's an intriguing young man to work with.”
