It seemed like the Washington Commanders did everything they could, since drafting tight end Ben Sinnott in the 2nd round of the 2024 NFL Draft, to make sure he wouldn’t have an NFL career.
Sinnott, a constant afterthought from the moment he got on the roster, was forced into action in Week 9 against the New York Giants after an injury to starter Chigo Okonkwo and delivered big in a 24-21 win.
Sinnott had 4 receptions for 42 yards and 1 touchdown on 4 targets in what was essentially a must-win game for the Commanders, who improved to 3-5-1 and stayed in the hunt for a playoff bid.
So the question now is … will the Commanders keep going with Sinnott? By comparison, Sinnott had 11 receptions for 114 yards and 1 touchdown in 16 games in 2025.
“Sinnott can be most effective in the middle of the field, more so than out on the perimeter,” Commanders Wire’s Ivan Lambert wrote on November 14. “He can do real damage when his shoulders are square, and he is running hard forward, not side to side. After last night, many of us are now hoping OC David Blough and QB Jayden Daniels will want to go back to Sinnott more often.”
Sinnott seemed to acknowledge how down bad he’d been for the last few years following the win over the Giants.
“Ben Sinnott, while running to the press room for availability because he was one of the game’s standout players: ‘Who thought we’d see the day?!'” The Athletic’s Nicki Jhabvala wrote on her official X account on Sunday.
Sinnott Once Called ‘Biggest Disappointment’
NFL influencer Dov Kleiman’s put Sinnott on his list of the “Most Disappointing Player” on all 32 NFL teams before the 2025 season. Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine called tight end the “Biggest Position Need” for the Commanders around the same time.
Sinnott played all 17 regular-season games as a rookie and finished the year with just 5 receptions for 28 yards and 1 touchdown on just 5 targets — but the Commanders had incredible team success, going 12-5 and advancing to the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 1991.
Former OC Kept Handcuffs on Sinnott in Offense
Former Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury refused to even attempt to incorporate Sinnott in the offense in a pinch — new offensive coordinator David Blough showed in Week 9 that he didn’t have those same restraints.
The Commanders as a franchise have shown Sinnott they don’t think he can be a full-time tight end. He played behind
“When a team uses a second-round pick to draft a player, it becomes difficult to give up on potential, a problem that’s motivating the Washington Commanders to introduce new plans to get under-performing tight end Ben Sinnott more involved,” Heavy’s James Dudko wrote on July 12. “Third-year pro Sinnott has tallied a mere 16 receptions from just 18 targets through two seasons, but there are good reasons to believe he’ll see more passes coming his way in 2026. Many of those reasons have to do with the Commanders promoting David Blough to offensive coordinator.”
Commanders’ ‘Biggest Disappointment’ Becoming Breakout Star