2026 NFL offseason preview: Washington Commanders have a bigger revamp ahead than you think

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The NFL offseason has begun, and Yahoo Sports is previewing the coming months for all 32 teams, from free agency through the draft and more.

Washington Commanders

2025 season record: 4-12 (u 9.5 wins), third in NFC East, missed playoffs, 23rd in DVOA

Overview

After a season when everything broke right for the Commanders, just about everything went wrong in 2025. The recent failed campaign followed an offseason when the franchise pushed some chips into the middle of the table to capitalize on a surprising Year 1 of the new regime. Last season, Washington went 7-2 in games decided by seven points or fewer. The Commanders were 0-5 in those games this past season.

The offense didn’t take a step forward, even early in the season when Jayden Daniels was healthy before missing 10 games due to multiple injuries. Marcus Mariota filled in admirably at times, but without Daniels, the Commanders missed the explosive element in both the pass and run games. Washington went from scoring on 50% of its drives in 2024 (second) to 37.4% (21st). Terry McLaurin also missed time after his hold-in during the offseason while he waited for a contract extension. Daniels and McLaurin played only 138 snaps together in 2025.

Any potential improvement for the defense never came, either. The Commanders spent most of the season getting gashed in the passing game and head coach Dan Quinn took over play-calling duties for defensive coordinator Joe Whitt late in the season. That didn’t change much as Washington finished the season in the bottom five of defensive DVOA. Now Whitt and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury are not coming back next season.

While the Commanders still have the bones of the impressive 2024 team — and a likely healthy Daniels set to return — this is a franchise that will have to step back and retool a bit earlier than expected.

Cap/cuts outlook

Washington has just under $60 million in effective salary cap space, per Over The Cap, the sixth most in the league. Part of this stems from the short-term deals the Commanders have given out to veterans over the past two seasons under general manager Adam Peters. Washington currently has only 35 players under contract for the 2026 season. With a lack of draft capital, the Commanders could face a similar situation, bringing in moderately priced veterans on one- or two-year deals. But that strategy made Washington the oldest team by snap-weighted age in each of the past two seasons. If the Commanders want to free up more space, moving on from CB Marshon Lattimore would open up another $18.5 million, the most likely cap cut on the roster after a disappointing stint following the 2024 midseason trade.

Key pending free agents

WR Deebo Samuel
LB Bobby Wagner
TE Zach Ertz
OG Chris Paul
EDGE Von Miller
P Tress Way
QB Marcus Mariota

Outside of team success, the Deebo Samuel trade went about as well as the Commanders could have hoped. He was the right kind of No. 2 alongside Terry McLaurin and had enough juice to lead the receiver room when McLaurin was out. Ertz and Wagner were two of the original veteran additions. Ertz tore his ACL late in the season. Wagner continues to put up high tackle numbers, but needs to be hidden in pass coverage. Way could be a high-priority free agent. He had the second-highest rate of punts landing inside the 20 and the Commanders pinned opponents to the worst starting field position after punts.

Positional needs

Edge
Secondary
Wide receiver

Washington manufactured an OK pass rush — the Commanders ranked 15th in pressure rate when rushing four — but didn’t have a reliable pass rusher to win one-on-ones, especially once Dorance Armstrong got hurt. Most of the pressure came from the interior defensive line and blitzing linebackers.

The Commanders came into the season with one of the worst secondary rooms in the league and they might have underperformed expectations. Washington was 31st in EPA per play against the pass. CB Mike Sainristil bounced between the slot and outside and never fully looked comfortable in either. CB Marshon Lattimore battled injuries and inconsistency. Washington was one of three teams, along with the Giants and Jets, to not have an interception on a pass of 20 or more air yards.

With Deebo Samuel a free agent, the Commanders don’t have much behind Terry McLaurin. Even if Samuel comes back, having a third wide receiver — or even a pass-catching tight end — should be necessary to build out the offense. A lack of a second outside receiver also condensed the offensive formation, which resulted in Washington running into heavier boxes, a year after the Commanders found success on the ground running into the lightest boxes in the league.

2026 NFL Draft picks

1st round, pick No. 7
3rd round
5th round
6th round
6th round (MIN)
7th round

Good draft fit

Keldric Faulk, DE, Auburn

Faulk would instantly improve Washington’s run defense and has strong upside as a pass rusher. The Commanders need a premium piece like him as they being their restructuring on that side of the ball.

What could move the fantasy needle in 2026?

Don’t cut corners

The Commanders moved on from both of their coordinators less than one year after playing the NFC championship game. Life comes at you fast in the NFL and this team is guilty of resting on its 2024 laurels to far too high a degree. The Commanders tried to cut corners and left significant holes in their offensive weaponry. The running back room and outside receiver position were ignored in the offseason and the lack of depth was exposed throughout the season. Moving on from Kliff Kingsbury signals they know they need to change their stripes on offense this coming season. We’ll see how that works out but it’s the right idea, even if Kingsbury was great for this team in 2024. Getting the OC hire right is pivotal, and so is surrounding QB Jayden Daniels with better young talent at pass-catcher. — Matt Harmon

Betting nugget

It was a hugely disappointing season all around for the Commanders as Jayden Daniels was injured for most of the year and Washington (5-12) went way under its preseason win total of 9.5. — Ben Fawkes

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