The Washington Commanders' 2025 season ended earlier this month with a 24-17 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. They finished with a 5-12 record -- a dramatic slump compared to the 12-5 run in 2024 -- and they're set to spend the next few months trying to build up and improve the roster to reclaim that success.

Though we don't have any say in how the new front office will mold the team going forward, Commanders.com will look back at how each group performed last season, breaking down top performers and looking ahead at where they could go next. The cornerbacks are up next on the list.

On the roster

• Antonio Hamilton Sr.*
• Noah Igbinoghene*
• Jonathan Jones*
• Mike Sainristil
• Tre Hawkins III (Future)
• Quantrezz Knight (Future)
• Car'lin Vigers (Future)
• Trey Amos
• Marshon Lattimore
• Darius Rush (Future)
• Rob McDaniel (Future)

*Jones, Igbinoghene and Hamilton are all pending free agents

Top performers (per Pro Football Focus)

OVR: Antonio Hamilton Sr. (63.5)
RDEF: Antonio Hamilton Sr. (71.9)
TACK: Jonathan Jones (61.8)
COV: Antonio Hamilton Sr. (60.7)

Stats to know

-- Although Jones' season was interrupted by a hamstring injury, the veteran cornerback had an overall solid season in coverage. He allowed a catch rate of 58.5% -- the second best among cornerbacks – on 41 targets and had four forced incompletions, which was tied for fourth most on the team.

-- Amos' rookie season came to an unfortunate end, but the former second-round pick showed potential to be one of the Commanders' key defensive pieces moving forward. Despite only playing in 10 games, he was second on the team with six forced incompletions with four pass breakups. He had the second best cover grade among Washington's cornerbacks and had 24 tackles. He needs to keep improving his skill set, but he clearly has a foundation to build on in future seasons.

Questions to answer

-- Where will Sainristil play? The Commanders drafted Sainristil out of Michigan to be a starting slot cornerback. They tried to keep him there during his rookie season but were forced to move him to the outside, where he played well against some of the best receivers in the division. They tried to move him back into the slot in 2025 but were once again forced to move him back outside because of injuries to their perimeter cornerbacks. Sainristil was competent at the spot for a second straight season, which has forced some to wonder if the Commanders should just keep him there. The Commanders will have a new defensive coordinator in 2026, and they will surely bring in new ideas on how to best use Sainristil as he goes into his third season. The good news for Sainristil is that he's proven he can play both spots, which offers the new staff more flexibility.

-- Is more help on the way? The Commanders have some foundational pieces at cornerback in Sainristil and Amos, but there are several questions at the rest of the position. Lattimore's torn ACL means that he is likely to miss at least a portion of the 2026 season, and backup players like Jones and Igbinoghene are scheduled to be free agents. The Commanders want to get younger at several spots, and while cornerback isn't a position connected to Washington's first-round pick yet, there are some young free agents who could give them a boost in talent. Head coach Dan Quinn has a history with free agent Trevon Diggs, but players like Alontae Taylor, Riq Woolen and Greg Newsome are all under 30 years old and projected to be available. It will be up to Quinn and general manager Adam Peters to determine which, if any, are the right fit for the Commanders as they retool their defense.