The Commanders open the 2026 season already down two starters, with no end to the injury trouble in sight
Washington officially set its 53-man roster Tuesday, but the real story is who won't be suiting up - and when, if ever, they might return.
In brief
The Commanders open the 2026 season already down two starters, with no end to the injury trouble in sight
LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. - The Washington Commanders officially announced their initial 53-man roster for the 2026 NFL season on Tuesday, and the list reads less like a team ready to compete than a triage chart. Before the ink was dry, the franchise was already telegraphing two more moves to injured reserve - moves that will shape everything about how Jayden Daniels plays football this fall.
Left tackle Laremy Tunsil and defensive tackle Johnny Newton both appear on the initial 53, but each is expected to be moved to the reserve/injured list with a designation to return. That would clear room for two more players, with defensive tackle Shy Tuttle and cornerback Fabian Moreau the likely beneficiaries after being released. It's procedural housekeeping, sure. But it also captures exactly where this team stands walking into a season it desperately needed to go right.
The line problem, again
Tunsil tore his triceps and will be sidelined for at least a significant portion of the 2026 season, forcing the Commanders to shuffle their offensive line. Coleman has stepped in at left tackle - a position he held as a rookie - and performed. Brandon Coleman is a capable fill-in. He is not Laremy Tunsil, and everyone in the building knows it.
Losing elite left tackle Laremy Tunsil was a major blow that set the offensive line off its axis. Going through most of this summer's work without center Nick Allegretti because of a calf strain exposed flaws in offensive line depth, at that position and guard. The good news - small as it is - is that Allegretti has missed most of training camp due to a calf strain, but he was back on the practice field the last two days. He was in a sleeve. He was snapping. That counts for something.
And then there's the other side of the ball. Jer'Zhan Newton is out for a significant time because of a torn pectoral, paving the way for someone else. Newton, a 2024 second-round pick whom the Commanders have counted on to develop into a cornerstone piece of the interior defense, now goes on a shelf next to Tunsil.
More names, more questions
The depth chart is leaking from multiple spots. Trey Amos is dealing with ankle issues and was placed on injured reserve with a designation to return. So was running back Jeremy McNichols, who is dealing with a quad injury. In addition, the three best members of the defensive front - Odafe Oweh, K'Lavon Chaisson and Daron Payne - have been out the past few weeks.
Two injured players, left tackle Laremy Tunsil and defensive tackle Johnny Newton, are on the initial 53-man roster. That's procedural, as they'll be moved to the reserve/injured list with the designation to return. That will open up two more spots, presumably for defensive tackle Shy Tuttle and cornerback Fabian Moreau to return after being released.
There is also this wrinkle: Dorance Armstrong was placed on the reserve/suspended list, meaning the pass rusher won't be available for Week 1 at all. And tight end Ben Sinnott has been dealing with an oblique injury, but was back at practice Monday doing limited work. Small victories.
What Dan Quinn is working with on offense
At quarterback, the Commanders carry Jayden Daniels, Marcus Mariota and seventh-round rookie Athan Kaliakmanis. The receiver room includes Terry McLaurin, Stefon Diggs, Antonio Williams, Luke McCaffrey, Treylon Burks, Jaylin Lane and Dyami Brown. That's a group Daniels can work with. The concern is who is in front of him.
Assistant GM Lance Newmark spoke to reporters before Tuesday's practice to address the roster situation. The Commanders are leaving the door open for left tackle Laremy Tunsil and defensive tackle Johnny Newton to return to action at some point during the 2026 season. When exactly that happens is anyone's guess.
Quinn, for his part, has been publicly upbeat about Daniels heading into the new scheme under first-year offensive coordinator David Blough. Daniels is back for his third season working in a new scheme orchestrated by Blough, and he looked like his old self despite new wrinkles like working more under center and calling plays from a huddle. He was comfortable in the pocket, delivering accurate passes downfield. Daniels proved quickly that the injuries that plagued him in 2025 are in the past, and Quinn said at one point that he was further along than he thought he would be.
"I love that he's decisive as a quarterback," Quinn said. "He's got a unique ability to put the ball in the right location... That might be the biggest difference between the last couple years and this year is him at the line of scrimmage and working through."
Fine. But decisive quarterbacks still get hurt behind broken offensive lines. Washington's running back success will largely depend on the health of the team's offensive line, and right now that line is a puzzle missing two pieces before the first snap of the regular season.
The bigger picture
The Commanders will seek to improve upon their injury-riddled 5-12 record from the previous season. They unveiled new uniforms in the offseason, inspired by their Super Bowl era uniforms, with a new black alternate featuring an alternative speared logo. New look, same injury report.
Expect general manager Adam Peters to keep an eye on the waiver wire and make some pickups as we move forward. Getting the roster down to 53 is only the beginning, as the Commanders' roster construction is far from over. The next phase will include adding players via the waiver wire and signing players to the team's practice squad.
Washington does have the talent to compete when healthy. Daniels, McLaurin, Diggs, Daron Payne - on paper this roster has teeth. But "on paper" and "on the field Week 1" are very different things right now. Allegretti is back at practice, wearing a sleeve on his calf, snapping balls in a Loudoun County parking lot, hoping his body holds.
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CAN I KICK IT? screens New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument, on Aug. 22. (Courtesy SHAOLIN JAZZ)
The live-cinema series CAN I KICK IT? returns to the National Mall this month with what its producers are calling the "Gangsters on the Mall" chapter of their free outdoor summer run. On Saturday, August 22, the SHAOLIN JAZZ production brings the 1991 crime classic New Jack City to the Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument for a night of film, music, and community under the DC summer sky.
What sets the event apart is the sound. As the film plays, DJ 2-Tone Jones builds an original score in real time, reimagining one of the most iconic crime movies of the ’90s through hip-hop, soul, funk, and more. It is less a movie screening than a live performance built around the film.
The details:
Film: New Jack City (1991), with a live soundtrack by DJ 2-Tone Jones
When: Saturday, August 22 — seating opens at 7:30 p.m. (bring lawn chairs and blankets); film begins at 8:30 p.m.
Where: Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument, Independence Ave SW & 15th St NW
A parking note from the organizers: expect road closures and restricted parking east of 14th Street NW due to a separate race event in the District. Roads west of 14th Street NW will be accessible and available for parking.
New Jack City is the second of three screenings in this year’s free CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series, which opened with Black Panther at Skyland Town Center and concludes with Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial on September 5. Produced by the Washington, DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, the series has presented more than 150 live cinematic experiences at venues across the country, from Lincoln Center to SXSW.
"I wanted to be able to tell good stories with substance and remove the ‘ego’ out of the art," said Andrew Huang during a recent interview. Now, he’s building his career at the intersection of discipline, creativity and innovation.
Andrew Huang, founder of New Place Studios. (Courtesy photo)
As a Chinese American, Huang was reared with a deep respect for hard work, consistency and excellence. He describes his childhood as "not so affluent" and later attended college to hone his passion for videography. "In college I tried to do something I loved, which was video, but along the way I knew that I had to find a job. And so I thought, ‘what was the low hanging fruit to get to that stable 9 to 5 job?,’" he stated.
Later in life, Huang found himself working for corporations where his creativity was often limited, eventually leading to burnout. "I worked in a corporation for a long time and there were a lot of missing pieces. I wanted to fill in gaps missing in corporate video production," said Huang.
He later described how his upbringing and a mindset of "survival" led him toward a corporate career. However, his desire for balance and authentic storytelling ultimately pushed him to take the entrepreneurial leap.
"I founded a new place where you can create video and film with ‘substance and style,’" said Huang. His desire for work-life balance and passion for storytelling naturally evolved into a small business based in Virginia. With the launch of New Place Studios, the entrepreneur quickly found himself reconnecting with the values that would become the foundation of everything he creates behind the camera.
Huang said being a business owner has allowed him to first embrace himself. While others may see video as simply capturing moments, he sees it as a way to preserve stories that inspire, connect and leave a lasting imprint.
By combining cinematic visuals with cutting-edge production techniques and a keen understanding of branding, Huang helps organizations and individuals communicate their vision with purpose. He said understanding a client’s "why" serves as the compass for delivering the services they need.
One benefit of working with a small business, he said, is that clients get to see the production process unfold through a micro lens while working with the same faces throughout the entire project. "The work feels personal," said Huang.
Huang does not regret leaving behind the flash-over-substance mentality and corporate hustle culture. That does not mean the Asian American entrepreneur has been without challenges in the industry. "It’s relatively hard to find other Asian American creatives or people who would want to work with me in the DMV," said Huang.
He identifies the industry culture in which everyone is trying to blend in, creatives may fear displaying their Asian identity and some feel pressure to adopt an American corporate persona. He also points to what he describes as a level of gatekeeping within the industry. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2024 statistics, Asian American and Pacific Islander entrepreneurs own more than 3 million businesses and employ 5.2 million people in the United States.
After tapping into organizations such as SCORE, which offers free small business mentorship, New Place Studios has become a trusted creative partner throughout the DMV (Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia). The company produces a range of creative services, including commercials, corporate branding, documentaries, film, 2D animation, motion graphics and photography.
For Huang, entrepreneurship has become more than a departure from corporate life. It has given him the freedom to create with intention, build meaningful connections and tell stories that go beyond the surface.
The 2026 CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
For three Saturdays this summer, some of Washington’s most familiar public spaces will do something they rarely do after dark: fill up with blankets, lawn chairs, and the sound of a movie being scored live, in real time. CAN I KICK IT?, the traveling “live cinema” series produced by the DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, is bringing a free outdoor run to the city — pairing three era-defining films with an original soundtrack performed on the spot by DJ 2-Tone Jones.
The premise is what sets it apart from a normal screening in the park. Rather than simply pressing play, 2-Tone Jones builds a score as the film unfolds, pulling from hip-hop, soul, funk, jazz, rock, electronic music, and sounds from around the world. The result, the organizers say, is less a movie night than a one-time performance — the same film you know, wired to a soundtrack you have never heard and will not hear again. Guest DJs warm up the crowd starting at 7:30 PM before each 8:30 PM screening.
The 2026 outdoor schedule
All three events are free and open to the public.
Saturday, August 8 — Black Panther at Skyland Town Center. A pop-up marketplace and community activities kick off the evening; guest DJs at 7:30 PM, film at 8:30 PM. Marvel’s superhero epic gets a one-night-only live score in Southeast DC.
Saturday, August 22 — New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument. Seating begins at 7:30 PM; the film starts at 8:30 PM. The 1991 crime drama plays out at the foot of one of the country’s most recognizable landmarks.
Saturday, September 5 — Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial. Seating at 7:30 PM; film at 8:30 PM. The series closes with Brian De Palma’s crime saga against the backdrop of the Memorial, scored live from start to finish.
First up: Black Panther at Skyland Town Center on August 8. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
A DC company with a national footprint
SHAOLIN JAZZ describes itself as a Washington-based arts company working at the intersection of music, film, art, and culture, and CAN I KICK IT? is its signature production. According to the organizers, the series has staged more than 150 live cinematic experiences around the country — at performing arts centers, museums, festivals, and cultural institutions including Lincoln Center in New York, SXSW, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Republic Square in Austin, the Tacoma Armory, and The Cary Theater.
“CAN I KICK IT? has always been about creating a shared experience,” said Gerald Watson, co-founder of SHAOLIN JAZZ. “When you combine iconic films with live music in public spaces, something special happens. People aren’t just watching a movie — they’re experiencing it together. That’s what makes these nights so memorable.”
Cinema as a community event
The DC run lands as cities across the country look for new ways to activate public space through arts and culture — and this series is a straightforward pitch for how to do it: take a landmark everyone already knows, add a film everyone has an opinion about, and let a live soundtrack turn the evening into something neighbors experience shoulder to shoulder. Families, film buffs, and music fans are all invited, and admission won’t cost a thing.
The CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series runs August 8, August 22, and September 5. All events are free; check SHAOLIN JAZZ (shaolinjazz.com) for the latest details and any weather updates before heading out.
