The Washington Commanders were busy on Sunday, two days after Friday’s disappointing 48-18 preseason loss to the New England Patriots. The Commanders brought in 14 players for tryouts, and word emerged on Sunday evening that eight-year veteran linebacker Duke Riley had been signed.
Washington wasn’t done.
Late Sunday night, Ben Standig reported that the Commanders were expected to sign cornerback Essang Bassey.
Update: The Commanders are expected to sign CB Essang Bassey following today’s 14-player tryout, per source, along with LB Duke Riley. The LB workouts are particularly interesting following Friday’s preseason loss. Same with zero WRs at tryout. Details⤵️https://t.co/E3HHMQHxj3pic.twitter.com/ABaYsritO2
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) August 11, 2025
Bassey’s signing is an interesting one. The Commanders appear set at cornerback. Marshon Lattimore, Mike Sainristil, Trey Amos, Jonathan Jones and Noah Igbinoghene make up what is considered a team strength. All five players should make the 53-man roster. Washington is also high on undrafted cornerback Car’lin Vigers.
So why sign Bassey?
Bassey, who turns 27 this week, played collegiately at Wake Forest, where he was a two-time All-ACC selection. The 5-foot-10, 190-pound Bassey entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in the 2020 NFL draft, signing with the Denver Broncos. He spent two seasons with the Broncos before he was released in December 2021 (second season) and claimed off waivers by the Los Angeles Chargers. The Chargers waived him at the conclusion of that season, and Denver claimed him back off waivers and signed him to a futures contract.
Bassey was released during Denver’s final cuts ahead of the 2022 season and then re-signed to the practice squad. Two weeks later, he was promoted to the active roster. He re-signed with Denver following the 2022 season but was released in October 2023. Again, the Chargers claimed Bassey off waivers. He signed with the Detroit Lions last summer, but was released during Detroit’s final cuts.
Bassey’s connection to Washington is defensive backs coach Tommy Donatell. Donatell was with the Chargers for both of Bassey’s stints there. While the Commanders’ top cornerbacks are healthy, others, such as Bobby Price and Kevon Seymour, are banged up. Price suffered a concussion in Friday’s game and is in the NFL’s concussion protocol.
Here’s an interesting comparison for Bassey’s athletic profile.
Lions CB Essang (EE-Sang) Bassey:
• Similar athletic profile to Rookie WAS CB Mike Sainristil
• 2020-23: 968 Career Snaps with LAC and DEN primarily in the Slot
• Wake Forest: 40 Starts & 50 PDs
• Hopefully is a response to Moseley injury and keeping Rakestraw Jr outside https://t.co/aqH201J24Qpic.twitter.com/40BHWowJG9— Al Karsten (@FootballGuy_Al) August 13, 2024
The team hasn’t officially confirmed Riley or Bassey’s signings, but will need to make corresponding moves once they become official.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Commanders expected to sign defensive back with ties to coaching staff