The Washington Commanders boosted their secondary this offseason by selecting Michigan cornerback Mike Sainristil in the second round of April’s NFL Draft.
Sainristil, 23, won a National Championship with the Wolverines last season, and he hopes to bring that winning energy to the Commanders.
In Ann Arbor, it was all about consistency, and that’s what Sainristil is bringing to Washington at the start of training camp.
“Mike Sainristil has been somebody that’s been really, consistently strong,” Commanders coach Dan Quinn said. “It’s run fits, it’s coverage, it’s all of it that goes into that position. Playing nickel is a lot like playing safety. There’s run fits, there’s calls, there’s checks and things happen quickly, and Mikey has certainly shown he’s up for the task to be into that spot.”
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The Commanders selected two cornerbacks at the start of the 2023 NFL Draft with Emmanuel Forbes and Quan Martin. However, the Commanders still ended up as the worst-ranked defense in the NFL last season.
Now, with a new defensive-minded coach in Quinn, Sainristil has a chance to emerge as the top cornerback in a young position group.
He is giving what the coaches are asking for, giving him a good start to his first training camp.
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