'Keep an Eye On’ Percy Butler, Says Coach Rivera

In terms of the secondary, rookie cornerback Emmanuel Forbes has commanded a majority of the attention for the Washington Commanders this summer. The first-round pick is expected to start across from veteran Kendall Fuller this season. 

However, coach Ron Rivera says that second-year safety Percy Butler is another name in the secondary worth giving attention to. 

"You know, another young guy to keep an eye on is [S] Percy [Butler]," Rivera said. "You know, Percy's a guy that runs very well and plays very fast. So, you've gotta find ways to get those type of players on the field.”

Butler was a fourth-round pick out of Louisiana in 2022. In his rookie season, Butler appeared in 15 games, recording 11 combined tackles and a fumble recovery. Kamren Curl and Darrick Forrest are currently penciled in as the starting safeties, but if Butler is able to take a step forward in 2023, he would give Rivera and defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio another chess piece to work with in what has a chance to be a strong secondary. 

That's of course, on top of one of the league's elite defensive lines, which features two excellent defensive tackles in Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen, along with Montez Sweat and Chase Young coming off the edge. 

Washington was the only team in the NFC East to miss the playoffs a season ago, but they still went 8-8-1 and appear to have a playoff-caliber defense. If new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy is able to develop quarterback Sam Howell -- among other pieces -- the Commanders could very well be a surprise playoff team in 2023.