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What no one wants to imagine for the Commanders in 2025

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What no one wants to imagine for the Commanders in 2025


We recently talked about CBS Sports’ ‘best-case scenario’ for the Washington Commanders.

Well, anytime you talk best, you inevitably have to talk worst, and Cody Benjamin did just that in the same column he labeled a Super Bowl championship as the ceiling for this year’s Commanders squad.

So, what is the floor? Honestly, it is something we are just superstitious enough not to want to put in print, so we’ll just let Benjamin identify the worst-case scenario for Washington in his own words.

READ MORE: Commanders WR gets carted off during minicamp in scary scene

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Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota (18).

Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota (18). / Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

“Daniels’ do-it-all gifts come with a cost, as the dual threat can’t stay on the field to meet lofty Year 2 expectations, and Dan Quinn is subsequently left to lean on aging placeholders as the rival Eagles stay rolling,” is the floor for the Commanders this year, according to Benjamin.

The problem here is, Benjamin is correct. As with most NFL teams, the thought of Washington losing its starting quarterback is indeed the worst-case scenario.

Fortunately, the team does have Marcus Mariota, who many consider to be one of the best backups in the league today. We’d be hard pressed to not have him at the top of that list, but certainly open to the idea some others would have a case to make for claiming that spot themselves.

In three games last year Mariota completed nearly 80 percent of his passes and tossed four touchdowns while not turning the ball over once. He even orchestrated a thrilling fourth quarter comeback over the hated Dallas Cowboys.

While all three of his games came against teams that didn’t even sniff the playoffs last year, that’s still a high level of performance to witness for a quarterback coming off the bench cold without the benefit of a week’s worth of starting reps in practice and a gameplan modeled to his specific traits and abilities.

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Would Washington still be considered a Super Bowl contender were this scenario to unfold? Not likely. However, nobody expected the Commanders to do what they did, even with Daniels, last year, and Mariota wouldn’t be the first no-chance quarterback to come in and prove to everyone yet again that if the entire team is pulling in the same direction, there’s no telling what they can accomplish.

Stick with CommanderGameday and the Locked On Commanders podcast for more FREE coverage of the Washington Commanders throughout the 2025 offseason.

Commanders’ Deebo Samuel called 49ers’ biggest offseason loss

• Young Commanders launch ‘FRO X CHILL’, a secondary duo built for chaos

 Commanders floated as surprise trade destination for star AFC running back

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 Commanders star missing minicamp sparks wild trade scenarios across NFL



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Inside Woodlawn Cemetery’s mission to preserve history

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Inside Woodlawn Cemetery’s mission to preserve history


The iron gate to Woodlawn Cemetery is almost always locked shut, but Toni White-Richardson was more than happy to let News4 inside.

As president of the Woodlawn Cemetery Perpetual Care Association, she was excited to talk about what makes this resting place so special.

“It is major D.C. history, first. Then it’s also major Black history, second,” White-Richardson said.

More than 30,000 people, mostly African Americans, are buried among the 22 acres of Woodlawn Cemetery, which opened in Southeast D.C. in 1895. And like so many cemeteries that date back to the 1800s, particularly African American cemeteries, this one has fallen into disrepair, is overgrown and has headstones tumbled over, like those of Wilhelmina and her husband James, and Eliza Spencer, a mother who died in 1887.

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“Let me do a very upfront disclaimer,” White-Richardson said. “We have no idea where these stones go. And when we looked at the grid, it became even clear as mud, it became less clear as to where these stones should really go. Unfortunately, when we look back, we can tell there was a plan, but we could see we never got totally completed. Even back then, there are no markers saying this is Section H or this is Section G or this is 102 and this is, none of that.”

One of the most notable Washingtonians laid to rest here is John Mercer Langston, Virginia’s first Black congressman.

“Langston University came one year because they had a grand reunion in D.C., and we arranged for them to come to see […] John Mercer Langston, the university that was named after this man,” White-Richardson said.

And Blance Bruce, the first Black U.S. senator to serve a full term and register of the treasury, is also buried in the cemetery.

“He’s the signature on our dollar bill, you know, back in the late 1800s,” White-Richardson said. “So, oh, it’s history. It’s capital letters. No getting around it.”

Woodlawn is also the resting place of several of the original founders of two of the country’s most prominent Black sororities, Alpha Kappa Alpha and Delta Sigma Theta. Both organizations volunteer to help with clean ups.

The Perpetual Care Association recently received a grant from the D.C. Office of Planning to help with upkeep of the grounds and preserving the history here.

“These are important individuals who’ve made contributions to the District a century ago, but today still their history and their stories reverberate and really influence the trajectory of our city,” said Anita Cozart, director of the D.C. Office of Planning.

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The cemetery tucked away off Benning Road is only open to the public five days a year, but groups can request tours anytime. The next chance to visit Woodlawn when it will be open to the public is Labor Day.

They’re always looking for volunteers and donors to help with the upkeep of this sacred ground.



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Parsing Trump’s claims about Washington’s reflecting pool

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Parsing Trump’s claims about Washington’s reflecting pool


US President Donald Trump wanted to mark the US’s 250th birthday with a renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on the National Mall.

The makeover, including a new coat of “American Flag blue,” cost taxpayers $16 million (€14.1 million).

But the water is covered in green algae. The blue paint is already peeling. Trump has blamed vandals, while his critics question the project’s transparency and cost.

DW’s Brent Goff and Washington correspondent Janelle Dumalaon unpack the whole fiasco.

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Social media reacts to former BYU star AJ Dybantsa going No. 1 in 2026 NBA draft

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Social media reacts to former BYU star AJ Dybantsa going No. 1 in 2026 NBA draft


Former BYU basketball star AJ Dybantsa fulfilled his dream of going No. 1 overall in the 2026 NBA draft.

The Washington Wizards selected Dybantsa with the first pick.

Immediately after the pick, reactions poured in on social media about the Wizards drafting Dybantsa.

Social media reactions to the Washington Wizards selecting BYU star AJ Dybantsa

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSL and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast daily on KSL Sports YouTube and KSL NewsRadio (SUBSCRIBE). Harper also co-hosts Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL NewsRadio.

Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU athletics in the Big 12 Conference on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram: @Mitch_Harper.

Want more coverage of BYU sports? Take us with you wherever you go.

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