Is there a Washington Commander that is being slept on for 2026?
No, not one of the many free agents signed in March, and no, not one of the six draft picks in April. Is there a returning player on the Commanders that fans are not as excited about? Is there a returning Washington Commander that the local media covering the team seems to be pretty much overlooking?
Logan Paulsen, former NFL tight end and former Washington tight end, sat down with John Keim this week for Keim’s podcast. Paulsen himself mentioned that he feels there is one player waiting to be unlocked/unleashed in this new OC David Blough offense in the 2026 season. To whom was Paulsen referring?
Would you believe Paulsen was referring to tight end Ben Sinnott? Yes, THAT Ben Sinnott, who though playing in 17 games his rookie season, only had five receptions. Yes, THAT Ben Sinnott, who in 16 games of the 2025 season collected only 11 pass receptions on a mere 13 targets.
BIG first down for @ben_sinnott
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— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) December 14, 2025
“How can this be?” is probably what you are thinking. Yes, that is understandable. Surely the new offensive coordinator, David Blough, is going to start John Bates at tight end, right? I mean, Bates is still only age 28, and he has been a very good run blocker his entire career. Secondly, one would think Blough would want to start Chig Okonkwo. The Commanders signed Okonkwo as a free agent tight end from the Tennessee Titans. Okonkwo will turn 27 in September, and he was impressive at times, catching 56 passes for 560 yards in an offense that struggled with a rookie quarterback last season.
Consequently, if Blough does start two tight ends, it would (barring injury) be Bates and Okonkwo. Might Blough then want to go into a ’13’ alignment with one running back, three tight ends, and one receiver? He certainly might like his odds of a bigger-bodied tight end helping in the running game and then play action in the ’13’ that Paulsen seems to think would most likely include Sinnott.
“Ok, you’ve got a pretty dangerous 13 personnel,” said Paulsen. “I think when in 21 Ben Sinnott is playing the fullback.” Paulsen sees Sinnott on the field much more in 2025. In ’13’, Sinnott will be the third tight end, and in ’21’, Sinnott will be on the field as the Commanders’ fullback.
Thus, Paulsen is visualizing Sinnott getting two more significant roles in 2026. Of course, you would be right to counter Paulsen, “Hey, with only 16 catches in two seasons, isn’t there only one way to go and that is up, for Sinnott?” You might also add that Sinnott has so much room to grow as a tight end in 2026. If you add that “with the signing of Okonkwo, Sinnott has something to prove in 2026”, I wouldn’t want to argue with you there, either.
If you insisted that Kliff Kingsbury’s offense rolled out QB Jayden Daniels often, having him throw outside the hash marks much more than he will under Blough’s offense, I would agree with you again.
If you reminded me that Sinnott, being the 54th overall selection of the 2024 NFL Draft, has so much to prove this season? I’d say you are certainly correct.
All of these reasons point to Ben Sinnott, who should make a good jump in his production in 2026.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Which Commander does Logan Paulsen see breaking out in 2026?