With the 2025 NFL season just days away and the next preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals literally 10 days out, the Washington Commanders have come to a conclusion: to release their fifth-round 161st overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, Dominique Hampton. The brutal loss of 48-18 against the New England Patriots on August 9 likely played a role in this conclusion. Hampton only accumulated a total of five tackles! Let’s dig deeper.
Washington Commanders make drastic roster changes after one preseason game
On August 9, the Commanders played against the Patriots. A day later, on August 11, the official Washington Commanders X account shared a long list of roster changes following just one 2025 preseason game:
- They have signed cornerback Essang Bassey, cornerback Antonio Hamilton Sr., and linebacker Duke Riley.
- They have released defensive end Viliami Fehoko Jr., cornerback Allan George, and linebacker Dominique Hampton.
- They have placed tackle Lucas Niang and cornerback Kevon Seymour on the Reserve/Injured List.
Fans call out Washington Commanders’ move of releasing their linebacker
A fan shared his views about the linebacker bluntly, “Wasted a 5th round pick…” Another fan felt, “Not Dominique he didn’t even get a chance to prove his talents 😪.” A third fan pointed out, “Hampton looked lost out there Friday night.” A fourth fan wrote in disbelief, “Dang Hampton got moved QUICK.” A fifth fan expressed, “Hampton was terrible saw it coming.” A sixth fan wondered, “One bad game and they cut Hampton?…. Something doesn’t add up…unless they didn’t like his habits off the field.” A seventh fan sided with Hampton, “Not at all surprised Dominique Hampton was cut, but rather surprised they did it now. Makes me wonder if they will sign him to the practice squad when the time comes or they just cut ties completely. He was bad Friday, but he wasn’t the only one.”
Linebackers coach Ken Norton Jr. praised Dominique Hampton in offseason
The cost of one game. The cost of one preseason game. It led the team to evict a player! Linebacker Dominique Hampton struggled to give his best in the first preseason game, despite being all-praised by the Linebackers coach Ken Norton Jr. in the 2025 offseason–“Dom has really worked hard this offseason. He’s really changed his body. And he’s strong, he’s fast. He’s really upped his ability to communicate, playing a middle linebacker. He has to do a great job of communicating. He’s really upped his IQ about how to understand the defenses, because being in the middle and making different checks and calls, you have to be right. Now, when he says something, he knows it’s important because everybody’s listening.”
Dominique Hampton stats
The 25-year-old played college football for the Washington Huskies as their safety. Hampton collected 109 total tackles, seven pass deflections, and two interceptions in a total of 57 games there. In the 2024 NFL Draft, the Commanders selected Hampton. He changed his position from safety at the Huskies to linebacker at the Commanders. On May 10, 2024, Dominique signed a four-year rookie contract worth $4.33 million. He was going to earn a base salary of $960,000 in the 2025 NFL season. But in the first game of the 2025 NFL Preseason against the New England Patriots, the 25-year-old linebacker only accumulated five tackles–two solo and three assisted. Also Read: Shedeur Sanders’ mom Pilar attracts attention and criticism for wearing a crop top | NFL News – Times of India
