Kevin Sheehan asked his listening audience a good question on Wednesday.
Sheehan’s show on The Team 980 (M-F, 10 AM-1 PM) produced a couple of segments on Wednesday that were certainly thought-provoking. One of the two, Sheehan asked his listeners, “Which one of the returning Commanders has the most to prove in 2026?” At one point, the question was asked this way: “Out of all of the returning players on the Washington Commanders, which ones are under the most pressure to have a bounce-back season in 2026?” Slightly different, but you understand Sheehan’s point of emphasis.
Here is a brief summary of Sheehan’s short list or you can watch the entire segment here.
- Terry McLaurin, WR “Terry was fine last year, when he played. But I think he’s got a lot to prove, because the team thought there was risk in giving him a massive deal. Which they decided not to give him, because of his age. He said, I am a young 30 years old because I didn’t play a lot before getting to the NFL. …You know after a season like last year, this guy is going to be in the best shape of his career.”
- Daron Payne, DT: “I tell you what, Daron Payne better ball out this year. Because, if not, there is not going to be a big market for him. They (Commanders) needed him to a certain degree, and they also probably couldn’t get much for him, uh, if anything. And there’s a chance if he really plays well, they could get a really solid compensatory pick, in the 2027 NFL Draft.” (Actually, Sheehan is not correct here. Yes, the Commanders would receive a compensatory pick, but those picks are not rewarded until the following NFL Draft after the player signs. So Washington would receive the pick in the 2028 NFL Draft.)
- Mike Sainristil, CB: “I’m not ready to bury the 2024 Draft quite yet. And the bottom line is the 2024 draft produced a quarterback. So, we’ll always have that. I think Sainristil has a chance to be a good player still. Sainristil is a good one (this category) because it was a tough year for him. And it’s not just because the defense was in disarray. Part of it is they were in disarray injury wise. They seemed to be disorganized and he got picked on, you know? There’s no doubt, they went after him last year. It was the opposite of his rookie season.”
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Which player has the most to prove in 2026?
