Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels had some spectacular moments in his NFL debut, but he also faced his share of struggles. Daniels passed for 184 yards, but also rushed for 88 yard and two touchdowns in Washington’s 37-20 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. How did Pro Football Focus grade Daniels’ performance? Not great. Which Commanders’ players stood out in the season opener? It is no surprise that right guard Sam Cosmi was excellent, but there were some surprises, too, including a former first-round pick. Here are PFF’s best and worst performers from Week 1 against the Bucs.
RB Brian Robinson Jr: 83.2 RG Sam Cosmi: 81.6 LT Cornelius Lucas: 69.9 LG Nick Allegretti: 67.3 LT Brandon Coleman: 65.1 It’s good to see so many offensive linemen on this list. From initially watching the TV copy, it appeared right tackle Andrew Wylie struggled the most. It is encouraging to see both of Washington’s left tackles (they split time) on this list. Coleman played 14 of the 59 offensive snaps. Robinson was terrific as a runner and out of the backfield on Sunday. He finished with 89 total yards and a touchdown.
LB/Edge Jamin Davis: 78.8 CB Noah Igbinoghene: 72.3 S Percy Butler: 71.5 DT Phidarian Mathis: 66.1 LB Mykal Walker: 65.9 It’s encouraging to see Davis on this list. He only played 20 snaps, but they were impactful. Davis was excellent against the run, including beating Tristan Wirfs on a play to drop the Tampa running back for a six-yard loss. He should see more playing time moving forward. Igbinoghene stepped in to replace Forbes and played well. Don’t be surprised if that continues. Percy Butler saw some action and looked much more comfortable than he ever did last season. It’s interesting to see Mathis grade higher than Washington’s starting defensive tackles. He played 23 snaps. Head coach Dan Quinn has been complimentary of Mathis since
DE Clelin Ferrell: 52.5 DT Sheldon Day: 49.2 FS Quan Martin: 46.0 CB Mike Sainristil: 40.7 CB Emmanuel Forbes: 33.5 Ferrell had a sack early in the game. Day relieved Allen and Payne, playing 23 snaps. It was a rough day for Washington’s secondary school, and it was not a surprise to see three starters on this list. Forbes had another bad showing, and he was benched. It was later revealed that he suffered some sort of injury, but it was not significant. Sainristil and Martin should be fine. It was Sainristil’s first NFL game, and he was often matched up with Chris Godwin. Other notable grades
C Tyler Biadasz: 64.9 RB Austin Ekeler: 62.2 RT Andrew Wylie: 63.1 TE Zach Ertz: 60.3 DT Jonathan Allen: 54.2 DT Daron Payne: 63.1 LB Bobby Wagner: 56.3 LB Frankie Luvu: 59.2 Biadasz and Ekeler were solid in their first games for Washington. Ekeler continues to look ageless as a receiver out of the backfield. Ertz didn’t have many opportunities, but that should change moving forward. Allen and Payne each had Baker Mayfield sacked for a significant loss, and both allowed him to escape, keeping drives alive. Wagner was late on one big screen play but was out there in the fourth quarter still competing, making stops and having back-to-back tackles for loss at one point.
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