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Bobby Gould’s Final 2024 Commanders 53-Man Roster

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Bobby Gould’s Final 2024 Commanders 53-Man Roster


With three preseason games down, it’s time to starting culling the roster in advance of Washington’s first regular season game, against the Buccaneers. Below is my prediction of the final 53, and much of the practice squad.

Offense (24):

Quarterback (2):

In the first season of the Dan Quinn regime, the team gets a complete re-boot at the QB position. Thankfully, the rookie, Daniels, has looked the part of a starting NFL QB so far this season, and has won the job from seasoned veteran Marcus Mariota. If all goes according to plan, Mariota should serve primarily as a mentor for Daniels this year, and ride off into the sunset of retirement in 2025. For the time being, rookie Sam Hartman heads the practice squad, eventually being slotted in as QB2 next season.

Jayden Daniels

Marcus Mariota

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Running Back (3):

I’m excited by the 1-2 punch of Robinson and Ekeler, and I think both could have great seasons this year. Beyond them, the team has some options. I lean towards UDFA Michael Wiley as RB3, as he’s shown some nice burst, and has solid hands out of the backfield. That said, I get the impression that veteran Jeremy McNichols may have the inside track for the role, with Wiley going to the practice squad. I think Chris Rodriguez could be cut altogether.

Brian Robinson

Austin Ekeler

Michael Wiley

Tight End (3):

There are only three tight ends on this roster worth keeping, but it could end up being a very good room, particularly if Ertz is healthy. Cole Turner and Colson Yankoff are potential practice squad candidates.

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Zach Ertz

Ben Sinnott

John Bates

Offensive Line (9):

Washington’s offensive line has struck fear into the hearts of many fans. I certainly think this is a transition year for the unit, but I expect it to be in the average range by the end of the season.

Brandon Coleman

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Nick Allegretti

Tyler Biadasz

Sam Cosmi

Andrew Wylie

Cornelius Lucas

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Chris Paul

Ricky Stromberg

Trent Scott

Wide Receiver (7):

Washington’s WR room leaves a lot to be desired, on paper, and as of this writing, I’m still not sure Brandon Aiyuk doesn’t end up in DC before the season. If this group remains the final list, however, expect Kliff Kingsbury and Jayden Daniels to spread the ball around a ton.

Terry McLaurin

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Dyami Brown

Olamide Zaccheaus

Luke McCaffrey

Byron Pringle

Kazmeir Allen

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Jamison Crowder


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Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images

Defense (26):

Last year’s biggest defensive weakness – linebacker – is probably this season’s greatest defensive strength, with the addition of Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu. The defensive line remains talented, and has added some interesting EDGE rushers, while the cornerbacks remain a concern.

Defensive End (6):

Dorance Armstrong

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Dante Fowler

Clelin Ferrell

KJ Henry

Andre Jones

Javontae Jean-Baptiste

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Defensive Tackle (5):

Jon Allen

Daron Payne

John Ridgeway

Johnny Newton

Benning Potoa’e

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Linebacker (5):

Wagner and Luvu are great as starters, but beyond that, there are a lot of question marks. Magee, in particular, is likely to be out for several weeks, but will still require a roster spot initially.

Bobby Wagner

Frankie Luvu

Jamin Davis

Jordan Magee

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Mykal Walker

Cornerback (5):

Will the team only carry 10 defensive backs? Seems a little thin, but I’m sticking with it.

Emmanuel Forbes

Benjamin St-Juste

Mike Sainristil

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Tariq Castro-Fields

Chigozie Anusiem

Safety (5):

Quan Martin

Jeremy Chinn

Darrick Forrest

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Jeremy Reaves

Tyler Owens

Special Teams (3):

I think Cade York played his way onto the roster last night with a solid performance, but I would be unsurprised if he’s not the kicker at the end of the season.

Cade York (K)

Tress Way (P)

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Tyler Ott (LS)

Practice Squad:

Several of these players could potentially be poached, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see them traded for late draft capital in advance of cutdowns, if Peters can make it happen.

Among those who I think will make the PS are:

  • QB Sam Hartman
  • RB Chris Rodriguez
  • RB Jeremy McNichols
  • DT Phil Mathis
  • DT Norell Pollard
  • S/LB Dominique Hampton
  • S Percy Butler
  • OT Armani Taylor-Prioleau
  • CB Noah Igbinoghene
  • TE Cole Turner
  • WR Mitchell Tinsley
  • WR Brycen Tremayne
  • WR Martavis Bryant

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How many roster spots do you think this projection has wrong?



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Ben’s Chili Bowl’s famed mural to come down. Which icons should be honored next?

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Ben’s Chili Bowl’s famed mural to come down. Which icons should be honored next?


A famous D.C. mural is coming down.

Ben’s Chili Bowl announced Wednesday that their famed mural, featured outside of the restaurant’s U Street location, will be replaced.

The mural, originally painted Aniekan Udofia in 2017, features icons like Barack and Michelle Obama, Muhammed Ali, Prince, Chuck Brown and News4’s Jim Vance.

Ben’s Chili Bowl says it’s being replaced due to weathering.

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The original mural received over 30,000 votes on who should be featured. And, the restaurant is once again asking customers to vote on who they want to see on the new mural.

News4 asked customers Wednesday who they would want to see on the new mural.

“It hurts a little bit because it’s been there, I think kinda, you know, it tells a story for real. I think we can always update and add people, but I like the ones who are on there for sure,” D.C. resident Rasheed Shaw told News4.

“That definitely represents, you know, the community itself. Shout out to Jim Vance,” he said.

After undergoing renovations for the past year, the restaurant is set to reopen on May 1.

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Ideas for the new mural can be submitted until May 10 on the restaurant’s website.



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Pulitzer-winning Washington Post editor Dan Eggen found dead at 60 after being laid-off earlier this year

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Pulitzer-winning Washington Post editor Dan Eggen found dead at 60 after being laid-off earlier this year


Veteran Washington Post editor Dan Eggen — a key architect of the paper’s political coverage who was laid off in a brutal round of cuts earlier this year — was found dead at his home in the nation’s capital on Tuesday. He was 60.

No foul play or violence were suspected in the death, local authorities told Eggen’s family, according to WaPo. The cause of death was pending an autopsy as of Wednesday morning.

Eggen spent nearly three decades at the paper, helping steer its reporting on the White House, Congress and presidential campaigns. He was on a team that won a 2002 Pulitzer Prize for investigating the plotters behind 9/11, going on to work on projects that won the most prestigious award in journalism in 2016, for reporting on Russian election interference, and in 2022, for exploring the previous year’s attack on the US Capitol.

Dan Eggen, a longtime Washington Post editor who helped shape the paper’s political coverage, was found dead at his Washington home on Tuesday. Facebook/Dan Eggen

A fixture of the newsroom’s most sensitive coverage, Eggen was “a sharp editor with a keen story sense,” the Post’s executive editor Matt Murray told staff.

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“Dan was involved in hiring, editing and mentoring dozens of politics writers across the years,” he wrote, adding that Eggen’s “news muscle and instincts were integral to our coverage.”

At the time of his death, Eggen was set to start a new job at NOTUS, a recently launched, DC-based outlet that’s been scooping up laid-off WaPo staffers.

“We hired Dan to join us at NOTUS after some of the best reporters in DC told us he was the best editor they’d ever had,” the site’s editor in chief Tim Grieve wrote on X. “We were excited to have him here, and I think he was equally excited to be coming here. Deepest condolences to everyone who loved him.”

Josh Dawsey, a Wall Street Journal reporter who previously covered the White House for the Washington Post, recalled Eggen’s relentless work ethic. The late journalist “worked seven days a week, 14 hours a day” and was “incredibly dedicated, a wonderful line editor” who pushed reporters to improve, Dawsey told WaPo.

“I viewed him as one of the true beating hearts of the newsroom … Dan is one of those people who make the newspaper work,” he added.

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Ashley Parker, a former White House reporter for the Washington Post who has since decamped to The Atlantic, remembered Eggen as a deeply collaborative editor who empowered his staff, saying he “was the rare editor who believed in his reporters” and “changed only 10 percent of your copy but made it 90 percent better.”


Eggen had recently been laid off from The Washington Post and was preparing to start a new role at NOTUS before his death.
Eggen had recently been laid off from the Washington Post and was preparing to start a new role at NOTUS before his death. Getty Images

Eggen began his WaPo career as a metro reporter and covered the post-9/11 Justice Department before becoming an editor.

He is survived by two children from his ex-wife, journalist Stephanie Armour, and a sister, according to WaPo.

The Post has sought comment from local police.



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‘Not just workers’: Calls for safer roads during National Work Zone Awareness Week

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‘Not just workers’: Calls for safer roads during National Work Zone Awareness Week


Incidents like the one in 2023 along the Baltimore Beltway — a crash that killed six highway workers — are the reason why officials gathered to stress the need for better work zone safety during National Work Zone Awareness Week.

This week, officials, workers and residents are calling for safer roads as they say there is still more work to be done when it comes to safety.

“It’s about understanding that each of us has a role to play in the safety and protection of one another,” William Pines from the Maryland State Highway Administration said.

With an active construction site as the backdrop — at the interchange between Pennsylvania Avenue and Suitland Parkway — roadway workers spoke up.

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“We are not just workers, we are people — real people. We are parents, siblings, friends and neighbors. So when you see us out there, please pay attention to that.” Dawn Hopkins with Flagger Force Traffic Control Services said.

Hopkins says she’s had to sound an alarm to get her crew out of dangerous situations.

“Please slow down, stay alert…and watch out for us in the workzones,” Hopkins added.

While the number of crashes in Maryland work zones in 2025 remains concerning, it is lower than in 2024. In 2025, there were:

  • 1,148 work zone crashes
  • 9 work zone deaths
  • 449 injuries

In 2024, there were:

  • 1,302 work zone crashes,
  • 12 work zone deaths, and
  • 492 injuries

“While citations are down, we still had 19 citations that were issues where the automated system recorded drivers traveling in excess of 130 miles an hour in work zones,” Pines said.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore has proclaimed April 22 as “Go Orange Day” in Maryland, urging everyone to wear orange in support of highway worker safety.

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A moment of silence for road workers who have been killed will be observed at noon this Friday.



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