It was an evening that nobody associated with the Washington Commanders will remember with any great fondness. They were second best throughout their Thursday Night Football loss to the Green Bay Packers, and the number of injury concerns that piled up rubbed further salt into the wounds.
One of these also subtly revealed the Commanders' current stance on second-year tight end Ben Sinnott, who is rapidly becoming an afterthought when much more was expected this time around.
Defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr. and running back Austin Ekeler both got carted off, and reports suggest their problems could potentially be season-ending. Although it paled into insignificance in comparison, the Commanders also lost John Bates, widely regarded among the league's most prolific blockers at the tight end spot.
Commanders kept Ben Sinnott on the fringes despite John Bates injury
Considering how Bates was helping rookie right tackle Josh Conerly Jr. with the supreme threat of All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons, it was no surprise to see the first-round pick crumble without this security blanket. And the fact that Washington didn't immediately slot Sinnott into this spot spoke volumes.
Sinnott was allocated just three offensive snaps despite Bates going out of the game after nine. He did bring in his only target for seven receiving yards, but this lack of involvement is a damning indictment of how his development is being perceived by those in power.
If they had any trust in Sinnott whatsoever, they would have slotted him in as Bates' replacement immediately. Instead, they left Conerly without help, and the former Oregon standout suffered accordingly.
To make matters worse, Sinnott only played 10 snaps on special teams. That was equally as bizarre, so there is something clearly amiss with the Kansas State product just 18 months after the Commanders took him at No. 53 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Sinnott only recently turned 23 years old, so there is still time to turn things around. However, there is a long way to go and a lot of hard work ahead before confidence in his outlook increases based on recent events.
The athletic intangibles are there. But NFL history is littered with athletically gifted college players who don't meet their billing in the pros. Putting Sinnott in this bracket is premature. Regardless, something is preventing offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury from getting him heavily involved, even if an injury occurs to one of his starting options.
It'll be interesting to see where Sinnott goes from here. Opportunities could be knocking if Bates is forced to miss time with his groin complication. The importance of seizing them cannot be overstated.
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