Commanders 'feel good' about secondary after 2026 NFL Draft

It was surprising that the Commanders didn't bring in another cornerback in the NFL draft. The Chiefs traded ahead of Washington at No. 6 to select LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane, the draft's top corner. Washington chose linebacker Sonny Styles at No. 7. Make no mistake, if Delane had not gone at No. 6, Styles would still have been the pick for the Commanders. Washington really liked Delane, but Styles was one of the team's favorites and GM Adam Peters was surprised he was still available.

After the draft wrapped up, assistant general manager Lance Newmark spoke to the media and expressed confidence in Washington's secondary.

"I think we feel good about those rooms," Newmark said. "We feel like we have good players in there. We have good competition in there, and it wasn't a situation where we went into the draft to not address them. It was just, the way that I think you go into the draft, like we talked about earlier, with great flexibility to do whatever's best, and it just was a situation where we were picking and what was available, those rooms just didn't make sense at that time."

Whether you like Newmark's answer or not, it's the correct one. What you never want is reaching to fill a need. That's what previous Washington administrations did, which is why no first-round pick from 2020-23 remains on the roster.

Newmark acknowledged that the Commanders considered adding to the cornerback and safety rooms, but it didn't make sense, based on what was available. Remember, Washington didn't have picks in the second and fourth rounds.

"It wasn't that it was not considered, it wasn't that everything's fine," he acknowledged. "It's just, it was that when we were picking a player in those rooms, it just didn't make the sense as the best decision at that point. So, like I said, we feel good about those rooms. I think we're always wanting to have competition and always wanting to do everything we can to make our football team as good as it can be, but at those picks, those rooms just didn't click."

What Washington isn't telling you is that it hopes the addition of new defensive coordinator Daronte Jones and his scheme, along with a much-improved pass rush, will help improve those positions. The Commanders like Sainristil and Amos, a pair of former second-round picks, and believe each has a bright future. Washington still believes in Quan Martin, hoping a coaching change will help him. At safety, the Commanders really like Cross and believe the combination of him and Will Harris will give them a solid starting duo with upside.

This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Secondary still a question mark after NFL Draft