Head coach Dan Quinn talks about why the Washington Commanders' rookie class has shown bright signs through 2025
The Washington Commanders will look for luck to turn in their favor in the NFL regular season finale this weekend with the team currently projected to land the seventh overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. While it also serves as one final game for several fringe roster candidates to make an impression, Sunday’s road game vs. Philadelphia will give several young players a chance for more reps after head coach Dan Quinn pointed to his “mature” rookie class making an impact in year one.
“They're a mature group and ready to work and so that part, having meaningful roles as rookies, that's a big deal,” Quinn said this week.
The obvious candidate is running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt, more commonly known as ‘Bill’, who is coming off his second 100-yard rushing game of the season after his 72-yard touchdown run to open the second half scoring vs. Christmas marked the latest highlight for the seventh-round selection. He also notched a top speed of 21.62 mph on the run, the fastest time by a Commander this season and 15th-fastest by any player in the 2025 season.
“Certainly Bill [RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt] has, right from the beginning there was always a moment or two in training camp early on the cut, the explosiveness. And so, to see a 70-yard run, that just doesn't happen very often in our league. And so, it showed the speed that he's capable of,” Quinn said.
Jaylin Lane, a fourth-round pick out of Virginia Tech, sits fourth on the team in receiving yards (225) on just 16 catches, but he’s made his mark on special teams as the rookie was named an alternate selection for the 2026 Pro Bowl as a returner. Lane was one of several ruled out vs. Philadelphia after being placed on IR.
“I thought with [WR] Jaylin [Lane], I thought coming in I knew the return skills were going to be good, but I thought quite honestly, after being with him every day and watching him catch punts, I thought they were exceptional,” Quinn said. “His ability to track it, his ability to make somebody miss, and so in a season on punt returns, you don't get 50 chances at returns generally. The punters who are good can angle and directed to go, but I thought he had really shown real moxie as a returner, this is not the easiest place, outdoors and wind and everything that goes with the punt returns.”
Second-round pick Trey Amos was a bright spot in what’s proven to be a dreadful secondary for the Commanders, appearing in ten games with eight starts as a rookie while adding six pass breakups. While the secondary could see new faces lead the way in 2026, Amos will likely serve as a building block for general manager Adam Peters.
“[CB] Trey [Amos] I would say exceeded my expectations in some regards just by his ability to compete right from the very beginning. Patience at the line of scrimmage, always in control and I thought you could really tell he really put a lot of work in to earn the starting job.”
Offensive tackle Josh Conerly, a former first-round pick out of Oregon, has taken his lumps in year one as he enters week 18 allowing eight sacks in 2025, tied for the fourth-most among NFL offensive tackles. While offseason acquisition Laremy Tunsil has locked down the left side, Conerly took those early lessons early in the season after allowing three sacks and nine pressures in the week two loss vs. Green Bay, but Dan Quinn pointed to the experience gained.
“He's been a better run blocker than I thought. Even coming out of Oregon, I knew he'd have the athleticism to pass protect because he could change direction. But if you look at like the long reverse play to [WR] Deebo [Samuel Sr.] or the combination run on the one to Bill, he was right in the middle of some of these key blocks. I think that's something that will continue to get better as it goes. So, with more strength and experience and size.”
Former UCLA linebacker Kain Medrano, who was Washington’s sixth round pick, also enters Sunday with something to prove after largely playing special teams as a rookie. Medrano notched a fumble recovery on the opening kickoff in the week 16 loss vs. Philadelphia while watching his snaps increase, coming off a season-high 24 vs. Dallas on Christmas Day. Medrano is looking to now fit into a linebacker room with Jordan Magee routinely drawing praise from Quinn.
“He’s definitely somebody that just has my attention, the intensity that he plays with, the intensity that he brings,” Quinn said of Magee last week.