Ben Sinnott had a mostly quiet first two seasons in the NFL, although the 2024 second-round pick did start to make some more noise once he took on a larger role in place of injured veteran Zach Ertz.
That might cause some impatience from people who expect more from a player taken with a top 100 pick, but analyst Logan Paulsen and the rest of the "Command Center" crew did see growth from Sinnott and believe that patience is all part of the process.
"I think you saw a guy that just got more comfortable," Paulsen said.
Sinnott, who spent four seasons at Kansas State, was a highly touted player coming out of the draft. He was Mel Kiper Jr.'s best available tight end heading into Day 2 of the 2024 NFL Draft for amassing 82 passes for 1,138 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was a Third Team All-American and First Team All-Big 12 selection. He was believed to be an athletic tight end who could hold his own as a receiver while also offering assistance as a run blocker.
Sinnott's first season, however, featured few flashes of that skill set. He made five catches on as many targets for 28 yards with just 311 total snaps on offense. Paulsen credited the limited usage to Sinnott still learning what it took to be a successful NFL player. Paulsen believed Sinnott "didn't understand the nuance in the run game, some of the nuances in coverage."
"When you're coming from college and you're a freak athlete the way he is, you're able to overcome a lot of that lack of that study with just physical prowess," Paulsen said.
Fortunately, Sinnott was in a position where he didn't need to be rushed into the lineup. The Commanders already had Zach Ertz, who many see as a future Hall of Famer, and John Bates -- regarded as one of the better blocking tight ends in the NFL -- ahead of him. From them, Paulsen said, Sinnott was able to learn more about the details that are necessary to be a competent NFL player.
Sinnott was rewarded for that study. He increased the snap count average from 26.7% in 2024 to 34.5% in 2025. He started to get more snaps on running plays and played a key role in explosive plays like Deebo Samuel's 29-yard gain on a jet sweep during the Commanders' Christmas Day matchup with the Dallas Cowboys.
And Sinnott was used more often as a pass-catcher, too, particularly once Ertz tore his ACL against the Minnesota Vikings. He caught eight of his 10 targets in the final five games, including a 36-yarder in the team's 29-21 win over the New York Giants.
With Ertz set to be a free agent in March, it's possible Sinnott could have a larger role in his third season. It's still unknown if he will end up as the all-around player he was projected to be, but the talent and skill set make Paulsen and the rest of his fellow analysts believe it's worth waiting to see what he turns into.
"Sometimes that thing just takes time," Santana Moss said of Sinnott. "Sometimes, it just takes a year or two, and I think it's great that we were able to see a little bit of him this year when we needed him."
