3 days ago
Commanders UDFA Seen As Contender to Make 53-Man Roster
Commanders UDFA Seen As Contender to Make 53-Man Roster originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
In a division with CeeDee Lamb, A.J. Brown, Malik Nabers, George Pickens and DeVonta Smith, the Washington Commanders know that they have to field a strong secondary to get any chance to be competitive.
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Their defense made major strides in 2024 under coach Dan Quinn. After having the worst unit in 2023, the Commanders secondary ranked third in the league in 2024. Having a better offense certainly helps, but Quinn's work has seen staggering results.
Washington isn't done, either. They added Marshon Lattimore at the trade deadline last year, and hope that second-round rookie Trey Amos can have an immediate impact as well.
There's one more player that Washington may have at their disposal.
And he's a UDFA that is turning heads at OTAs.
CBS Sports' Chris Trapasso believes that Fentrell Cypress II, the cornerback out of Florida State, has a great chance to make the 53-man roster for the Commanders.
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"Fentrell Cypress II is a man-coverage specialist with the athletic attributes to play that role in the NFL," Trapasso wrote. "While not ridiculously long, the former Florida State star is 6-foot-1 and 181 pounds with 4.43-second speed in the 40-yard dash, a 38-inch vertical jump and tremendous agility illustrated by his 6.84-second time in the three-cone drill at the Seminole pro day.
"Sometimes that natural talent is all a cornerback needs to impress coaches enough to go from undrafted to on the roster in Year 1."
If there's a coaching staff who can develop unsure talent in the secondary, it is Quinn. It is what makes Washington such an interesting team going into the 2025 season. ... and made more interesting if a UDFA like Cypress makes the roster.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on May 31, 2025, where it first appeared.
