If we thought things with Washington Commanders cornerback Mike Sainristil couldn’t get worse after watching him stumble through a tepid 2025, Sunday’s season opener showed us that things can always get worse than we imagine.
Sainristil seemed like the worst player on the field in a 24-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in which Philly wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks cooked Sainristil for several big plays, including a touchdown in which Sainristil appeared to be playing zone defense while the rest of his team was in man coverage.
To put it lightly, Sainristil’s play raised red flags for a lot of different people.
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“Tay Wicks had Mike Sainristil in HELL,” The Philly Pod’s Victor Williams wrote on his official X account.
“Mike Sainristil is a liability,” Commanders reporter Josh Taylor wrote on his official X account. “Two biggest plays of the game have been right at him. He’s reaching unplayable status. Bring in Terrell Smith ASAP.”
“The Mike Sainristil experiment should be complete,” Commanders Wire wrote on X. “He is not good. Go ahead and block us, Mikey. Truth hurts.”
“These type of plays from CB Mike Sainristil cannot continue to occur in a crucial year,” Commanders fan account Jay Daniels MVP wrote on X.
Mike Sainristil Took ‘Major Step Backwards’ in 2025
Sainristil was a revelation for the Commanders as a rookie in 2024, with 16 starts in 17 games to go with 93 tackles, 2 interceptions, 14 pass deflections, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery.
He ended the year looking like 1 of the NFL’s elite as the Commanders advanced to the NFC Championship Game for the 1st time since 1991 — most notably with 2 interceptions in an upset win over the No. 1 seed Detroit Lions in the NFC Divisional Round.
The follow-up to that brilliance — for both player and team — was difficult to stomach.
The Commanders went 5-12 in 2025 after going 12-5 in 2024, and Sainristil got torched by opposing teams over and over.
He was torched to the point ESPN’s Bill Barnwell called Sainristil out in his annual trade valuations, noting that the former Michigan star’s possible trade value had plummeted as significantly as anyone on the roster.
“Sainristil was one of the many Commanders defenders who took a major step backward in 2025 after impressing the prior season,” Barnwell wrote. “I wouldn’t rule out a return to form for the third-year pro, although he would need to prove that he can hold up as an outside cornerback to justify a first-round pick as a trade return.”
Mike Sainristil: Numbers Show 1 of NFL’s Worst CBs
Sainristil, 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds, received a 52.7 overall grade from Pro Football Focus in 2025, which ranked him 96th out of 114 eligible players at his position.
In 2 of the most important metrics, Sainristil fell woefully short. He led the NFL in receptions allowed (106) and was 4th in receiving touchdowns allowed (10). Opposing quarterbacks finished the season with a 109.7 passer rating when targeting Sainristil.
“I feel awful saying this because I love Mike Sainristil as a dude (and as a player for that matter),” 106.7-FM The Fan’s Grant Paulsen wrote on his official X account in November, with the Commanders on a 7-game losing streak. “There’s been no bigger regression or larger disappointment this season than the step backwards he has taken. I still feel good about his future but his 2024 and 2025 seasons are night and day different. People forget. He was so good last year.”
Commanders Starter Called ‘Unplayable’ After Loss to Eagles