Trey Amos is on IR, and the Commanders are heading to Philadelphia already short-handed in the secondary
Washington placed its top cornerback on injured reserve Sunday, ruling him out for at least the first four games - including a Week 1 road date with the defending Eagles.
In brief
Trey Amos is on IR, and the Commanders are heading to Philadelphia already short-handed in the secondary
The Washington Commanders placed cornerback Trey Amos on injured reserve Sunday with a designation to return, ruling him out for a minimum of the first four games of the 2026 regular season. That includes the Week 1 road opener against the Philadelphia Eagles - a divisional game, on the road, against a team that just won the Super Bowl. The timing could not be worse.
Amos was supposed to be the alpha of a rebuilt Washington secondary. The 2025 second-round pick had flashed excellent press-coverage potential during a promising rookie season before it was derailed in Week 10 by a fractured fibula. He worked all spring to get back. He started 2026 training camp on the PUP list, was activated August 7th, and then promptly injured his ankle - and has been out since.
Two injuries. Two seasons. He has not taken a single meaningful training camp rep.
It seems as though the Commanders did not keep Amos out of the fray for long enough, because he injured his ankle at just his second practice session. His sudden breakdown was a painful reminder of the risk the team took when they ignored "major" medical warning signs before selecting him in the second round of the 2025 draft.
Lost in the noise about Washington's offensive line woes, the Commanders finalized their initial 53-man roster Sunday and it included only three cornerbacks. Those three are Mike Sainristil, Amik Robertson, and Rasul Douglas. The talent drop-off behind that trio is steep, leaving almost zero margin for error.
Dan Quinn has tried to stay measured publicly. Quinn told reporters that Amos is dealing with ankle soreness and that he would have a better update in a couple of days - though at this point, that update arrived in the form of an IR designation. Amos not being available robs new defensive coordinator Daronte Jones of a foundational piece to make his system work. The absence compounds further issues for the Commanders when they are, per ESPN's John Keim, "already down Dorance Armstrong and there's uncertainty about Odafe Oweh."
The offensive line is already a disaster. Now the secondary is too.
The Amos news lands on top of an already-staggering injury list. Left tackle Laremy Tunsil reportedly tore a triceps in practice last month, an injury that could sideline the Pro Bowler for months. Tunsil is expected to miss most of the regular season. Just months ago, Washington made Tunsil the first $30 million-per-year offensive lineman, signing a two-year, $60.2 million extension that reset the left-tackle market. That money is now sitting in the training room.
That sent the offensive line into a spiral, with Brandon Coleman moving to left tackle after he had been battling Chris Paul to be the starting left guard. The front hasn't been the same since. Coleman has the experience - he started 12 games at left tackle as a rookie in 2024 and three more last year when Tunsil was injured - but plugging a left guard into a tackle spot the week before the season opens against a loaded Eagles front is a different proposition than doing it in an emergency during a Week 14 game.
The team also re-signed defensive tackle Dontae Tuttle on Monday after Tuttle was part of the Commanders' final roster cuts Sunday, reopening a spot after placing Tunsil on injured reserve. Fabian Moreau was also re-signed Monday, with Washington able to make room after placing defensive tackle Jer'Zhan Newton on injured reserve. Newton, for those keeping track, had torn his pectoral muscle during a preseason game against Miami and had surgery August 19th.
The list of missing pieces for Week 1 at Lincoln Financial Field: starting left tackle, starting cornerback, and a defensive tackle who was supposed to anchor the interior. Edge rusher Dorance Armstrong is also out - he had 5.5 sacks in seven games last season before a torn ACL ended his year. That's four starters, at four different positions, before the first whistle of 2026.
What the Commanders actually have at corner
Washington will roll with Amik Robertson, Mike Sainristil and Rasul Douglas. Douglas signed with the Commanders this offseason and is set to return to Philadelphia, where the Eagles drafted him in 2017 and he was part of their Super Bowl run before being waived after the 2019 season. He bounced through the Panthers, Packers, Bills and Dolphins before landing in Washington. Despite not finding a long-term home, Douglas has remained a steady presence. He gives the secondary a veteran who knows the NovaCare Complex building well - he just hasn't played there in seven years.
Sainristil was solid in 2025 before the season imploded around him. Robertson is a capable slot corner. But neither was the plan for the boundary when the offseason began. The plan was Amos.
The Commanders were counting on Amos to be their top cornerback heading into 2026, and he has gotten almost no practice time so far this offseason. Considering Amos was expected to be the alpha in Washington's cornerback unit with legitimate breakout potential, his unavailability is worrying. To say the least.
The designation to return means Amos is eligible to come back after Week 4. Realistically, the Commanders may not see the very best of him until after their bye week - which puts his true return somewhere in mid-October at the earliest. Whether he can get up to speed fast enough to matter, after barely practicing since November of last year, is a real question nobody in Ashburn has a clean answer to.
Washington opens the season on the road September 13th. The Eagles will have seen the injury report. They know Amos won't be there.
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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.
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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.
