Commanders Week 1 snap counts: 10 players played every snap

The Washington Commanders defeated the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1 to begin the 2023 NFL season 1-0.

Fortunately for Washington, there were no significant injuries. Defensive end Chase Young missed the game as he is still recovering from a stinger he received on Aug. 11. Young was cleared for contact late last week, but Washington wants to see how he responds to contact before playing him.

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Young’s absence meant more snaps for others, such as James Smith-Williams and Casey Toohill.

Below is a breakdown of the Commanders’ snap counts from Week 1.

Offense

If not for right guard Sam Cosmi departing for three snaps as he was tested for a concussion, all five offensive linemen would’ve each played every snap. Rookie Ricky Stromberg filled in for Cosmi when he missed the three snaps.

Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson and Curtis Samuel played 63, 62 and 46 snaps, respectively. Dyami Brown was in for 19 snaps but did not receive any targets. Byron Pringle or Jamison Crowder didn’t receive any snaps on offense.

At tight end, Logan Thomas played 58 snaps and had eight targets. John Bates played 26 snaps, while Cole Turner played 10 snaps. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Turner receive more time in the coming weeks.

At running back, Brian Robinson Jr. led the way with 43 snaps, while Antonio Gibson played 25 snaps. Rookie Chris Rodriguez Jr. played three snaps, one of which he played fullback and picked up the first down.

Defense

Five defensive players played all 62 snaps; four of them were in the secondary. Cornerbacks Kendall Fuller and Benjamin St-Juste and safeties Kamren Curl and Darrick Forrest played every snap. Linebacker Cody Barton played every snap and Jamin Davis played 40 of the 62 snaps. Davis played well, while Barton struggled a bit in his first game for Washington.

James Smith-Williams, Casey Toohill and Andre Jones Jr. took turns filling in for Young. Smith-Williams led the trio with 42 snaps. Montez Sweat, who was phenomenal, played 51 snaps. Defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne played 57 and 50 snaps, respectively.

Second-year safety Percy Butler played 33 snaps. He was impressive, too, breaking up one pass in which he should have had an interception. Rookie first-round pick Emmanuel Forbes played 40 snaps in his NFL debut and also should have had an interception. Fellow rookie Quan Martin played 18 special-teams snaps.