A Commanders columnist argues that benching Mike Sainristil may be the best response to his poor first two games of the 2026 season, in which he played a major role in both Washington losses. The piece also weighs moving him to safety or receiver, or trading him.
The writer says Sainristil plays better with his eyes on the quarterback but struggles when trailing receivers in man coverage. His ball skills could suit him at free safety, the writer argues, though his tackling and angles need work. The piece also says Washington safeties Jeremy Reaves and Quan Martin have struggled at deep safety.
Before moving to cornerback at Michigan, Sainristil caught 37 passes for 539 yards and five touchdowns. The writer says adapting to NFL slot receiver could take a year. A trade might bring Washington little in return, the writer adds, citing two analytics services that rank Sainristil last and another that places him in the bottom five.
