Commanders CB Mike Sainristil earns not-so-distinct honor for 2025
· Yahoo Sports
The 2025 season was one to forget for the Washington Commanders. One year after shocking everyone and going 12-5 and reaching the NFC Championship Game, the Commanders went 5-12 in 2025. The dismal season led Washington to move on from offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr., and others.
It was a rough year for almost every Washington player, too. Injuries crushed Washington's season, with quarterback Jayden Daniels missing 10 games with multiple injuries and Terry McLaurin missing half the season with a nagging injury. Additionally, players who thrived in 2024, took a major step back in 2025.
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One of those players was second-year cornerback Mike Sainristil. A second-round pick from Michigan in the 2024 NFL draft, Sainristil starred in his rookie season, starting every game, recording 93 tackles, 14 passes defensed and two interceptions. He had another in the playoffs. Sainristil was outstanding, despite moving back and forth between outside cornerback and the slot.
In 2025, Sainristil would return to the slot position with 2024 trade acquisition Marshon Lattimore now healthy and the presence of 2025 second-round pick Trey Amos.
Washington's defense was atrocious in 2025. It struggled at every level. A lack of pass rush also impacted the secondary, but communication issues were too frequent. Injuries to Lattimore and Amos midway through the season forced the Commanders to move Sainristil back outside. It didn't go as well as it did in 2024.
According to Pro Football Focus, Sainristil was the worst perimeter cornerback in the NFL during the 2025 season.
The Commanders continue deploying their stud 2024 slot cornerback prospect in a perimeter-heavy role despite problematically poor results. Sainristil operates as the No. 2 perimeter cornerback in base formations and slides into to cover the slot in nickel packages. This tactic allows opponents to aggressively target Sainristil in both roles; his slot-coverage ability deteriorates as he primarily plays out of position out wide. Sainristil’s 51.6 PFF defense grade ranked 68th among 71 NFL cornerbacks with at least 600 defensive snaps. He failed to earn even a 53.0 PFF grade in any of the three defensive subcategories.
Sainristil is the NFL’s most explosive-play-friendly perimeter cornerback.
His 10 receiving touchdowns allowed lead the sample by two, making him the only cornerback to allow double-digit touchdowns.
Sainristil allowed a 62.5% catch rate on third down, ranking 46th among 63 NFL cornerbacks with at least 115 third-down coverage snaps.
Sainristil is the NFL’s worst explosive-play defender.
Yikes. This is not the list you want to be included on. There were highlights for Sainristil, including his team-leading four interceptions, but they were too few and far between.
Sainristil wasn't the only Washington defender to regress. Safety Quan Martin took a massive step back, while linebacker Frankie Luvu was nowhere near as effective in 2025.
Those struggles make it fair to ask, was it coaching? The Commanders moved on from Whitt and hired Daronte Jones of the Minnesota Vikings as his replacement. Jones' history is coaching defensive backs, and he spoke highly of Sainristil, Martin, and Luvu upon being hired.
The Commanders are counting on Sainristil to bounce back in 2025. There's every reason to believe he will. Remember, this is a player that legendary former Alabama coach Nick Saban called the best pound-for-pound player in the 2024 NFL Draft.
It remains unknown whether Washington will keep Sainristil outside with the expected release of Lattimore, or target a cornerback in free agency to allow Sainristil to move back to his more natural position in the slot.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: A dubious 'honor' for CB Mike Sainristil