As the NFL offseason moves along and training camp draws closer, attention will continue to shift towards various battles for position on depth charts around the league.
Most of that drama will center around skill positions and featured defensive roles. There are always at least a few major names who end up being shock preseason cuts.
The same dilemma also applies to the most unheralded aspect of the game: special teams. Most franchises, even during the offseason, typically roster only one kicker, punter, and long snapper. Still, many teams' decisions regarding who gets those final few spots on the 53-man squad are often based on which players are available to play extra snaps when called upon.
For the Washington Commanders, one of those players is Nick Bellore.
Though listed as a linebacker, the longtime NFL veteran was brought to D.C. last offseason specifically as a special teamer, a role that earned him two Pro Bowl nods with the Seattle Seahawks. Now, he could find himself in danger of losing his place on the team.
Kain Medrano could threaten Nick Bellore's role on the Commanders
Bellore is a long-time NFL veteran seeking to enter his 15th season in the league. He has played a multitude of roles throughout his previous stops with the New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers, Detroit Lions, and Seattle, starting 10 games at linebacker for San Francisco in 2016 and even serving as a fullback for Detroit in 2018.
He has primarily been a special-teams ace. And in Washington last fall, Bellore played only seven defensive snaps.
Bellore was largely productive and re-signed with the team this past spring. However, it can't be ignored that he is 36 years old and that his position is a highly expendable one.
As it so happens, Washington has a new addition in the linebacker room this offseason in sixth-round rookie Kain Medrano, who could be better suited for the role.
The Commanders will likely keep five linebackers, two of whom will be Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu. Jordan Magee should be expected as a third. That leaves room for both Bellore and Medrano, but 2024 fifth-round pick Dominique Hampton is also a wild card who could compete for a spot.
Hampton appeared in only one game last season, in which he only took special-teams snaps. Medrano, though he certainly has the potential to be something more, could also be placed in that role should there be no room for him in the regular defensive rotation just yet.
One of the three will be the odd man out, and it wouldn't be out of the question for the team to prioritize its youth.
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