Rooting for 'Em!

Training camp is here, the pads are on and, as always, there is plenty to keep a Washington Commanders fan occupied. Who is winning the various position battles? Who is making a late push for a roster spot? Which rookies are going to surprise us? And, ultimately, who will make the final 53?

Those are the big questions, and there will be plenty of time over the coming weeks for us to obsess over them. But sometimes it's fun to step away from the roster projections and depth charts and simply pick a couple of guys you want to see succeed.

So, in this slightly less scientific feature, UKHTTC founder Christian Burt and Tony Wheat have each picked two Commanders to root for in 2026. They aren't necessarily the biggest names, the most obvious breakout candidates or even guaranteed locks for the roster. They're simply two players who, for different reasons, have caught our attention and who we'll be keeping a particularly close eye on as training camp progresses.

Because amongst all the talk about 53-man rosters, camp battles and preseason performances, there's still room for a little bit of rooting for 'em!

First up is Tony,

T.J Maguranyanga

For my first Commander to pull for, I’m going to go for a player who is not a household name and in fact may be someone that people might not even have heard of.

T.J Maguranyanga was born in Harare, Zimbabwe, and joined the NFL's International Player Pathway programme (IPP) in December 2024 for a 10-week training camp programme and signed with the Commanders as a defensive end in April 2025. Prior to that, he was a professional rugby player in the Top 14 in France, playing as a winger for ASM Clermont Auvergne.

Maguranyanga has exceptional speed and athleticism as you would expect from a former rugby winger but weighing in at only 222lbs he is slight by NFL defensive lineman standards. However, despite having never played the game before joining the IPP Programme, he quickly impressed the Commanders coaching staff, to the extent that he was promoted to the 53-man active roster for the Week 13 game against the Denver Broncos, an incredible achievement.

The aforementioned athleticism has wowed his teammates with both Javon Kinlaw and Sam Cosmi nominating him as Washington’s best athlete in Ben Standig’s annual player survey. Additionally, Head Coach Dan Quinn name checked Maguranyanga as one of the players who had impressed most in the offseason programme, so the arrow appears to be pointing firmly upwards.

The path to the 53-man roster is tough with the additions made to the defensive line, but a year spent on the practice squad learning the nuances of the game should be another step on the path to a potential NFL career. I’ll be keeping an eye out for him in preseason and will be interested to see if he is ever elevated from the practice squad during the season.

Josh Conerly Jr

In contrast to T.J Maguranyanga, Josh Conerly Jr joined the Commanders as a high-profile 1^st round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. As introductions to the NFL go, Conerly Jr’s couldn’t have been much tougher, lining up against Brian Burns, Micah Parsons and Max Crosby in his first three starts and unsurprisingly, he struggled.

Overall, his rookie season was a mixed bag, but signs of progress were noticeable towards the end of the campaign leading to genuine optimism that Washington could have a pair of tackles as good as any in the league if his growth can continue.

To continue the growth and development, Conerly Jr spent a good part of the offseason working out with fellow tackle Laremy Tunsil, following his famous regime of diet, study and training. Returning this summer, Conerly Jr’s physique looks noticeably different, and his physical and play strength should be improved, something that was definitely required.

Early signs from training camp have been mixed, but a new offense is being installed which is another challenge for the young lineman to master, and I’ll be watching closely, along with the rest of the Commanders fanbase to see if he is someone who can potentially anchor the offensive line for the next decade.

Who has Christian got?

Sam Cosmi – Right Guard

For my first Commander to pull for, I'm going for someone who perhaps doesn't get the attention he deserves.

Sam Cosmi has been around Washington since being drafted back in 2021 and, after initially struggling at right tackle, has found his home at right guard. In fact, his development was impressive enough for the Commanders to hand him a four-year extension in 2024, with Adam Peters describing him as a "pillar" of the offensive line.

Unfortunately, Cosmi's 2024 season ended in heartbreaking fashion when he suffered an ACL injury during the playoff win over Detroit. It would have been very easy for the injury to become the defining story, but Cosmi attacked his rehabilitation and remarkably returned to the field in Week 7 of the following season.

He was subsequently named Washington's recipient of the Ed Block Courage Award, recognising his response to adversity.

That's why Cosmi is one of my guys to root for in 2026. He's been through the difficult early years, battled his way into becoming an important part of the Commanders' offensive line and then had to fight his way back from a major injury. He's not the new shiny toy, but he's one of the guys who has been there through the transition from the old regime to the Dan Quinn/Adam Peters era.

If Cosmi can stay healthy, I think he has every chance of reminding everyone just how good he can be. Sometimes you just have to root for the guy who has put the work in and refused to be beaten by the setbacks.

Drew Stevens – Kicker

My second choice is a very different proposition: rookie kicker Drew Stevens. And, if I'm being completely honest, there is probably a fairly simple reason why I'm rooting for him – I want to see a kicker with a huge leg wearing burgundy and gold!

Stevens arrived in Washington as an undrafted free agent from Iowa, having already established himself as one of the best kickers in Hawkeyes history. He left college with 76 field goals to his name, including 12 from beyond 50 yards, and hit a 58-yarder in 2025. That's the sort of range that immediately gets your attention, particularly for a Commanders team that has spent far too much time recently searching for a consistent answer at kicker.

But there is something else about Stevens that caught my attention. Watching and reading about him during rookie minicamp, he just seems to have a bit of moxie about him. He hadn't kicked for four days before his first practice, then stepped out in windy conditions and promptly drilled a 53-yarder – before casually suggesting that he could have gone further. That's the sort of swagger I want from my kicker.

Of course, none of that guarantees he'll win the job. He's an undrafted rookie competing against Jake Moody and has to prove that the big leg comes with the consistency required at the NFL level. But that's precisely why he's fun to root for. Washington has been searching for stability at kicker, and Stevens represents the possibility of something a little more exciting: a young kicker who isn't afraid of distance and seems to believe he belongs.

So yes, I'm officially Team Stevens. Give me the big leg, give me the swagger and, hopefully, give me a few 55-yarders sailing through the uprights in burgundy and gold!