Leading up to kickoff of the 2026 NFL season, TeamFB7 is going in-depth on each team from its strengths and weaknesses to breakout players, intriguing rookies and overall predictions. We’re working backward from our preseason power rankings with a few updates along the way. Next up are the Washington Commanders at No. 20.
Is there any team in the NFL more difficult to project in 2026 than the Washington Commanders?
In coach Dan Quinn’s first season in 2024, Washington was the biggest surprise in the league while going 12-5 and making it all the way to the NFC championship game with a rookie quarterback.
In Quinn’s second season, the Commanders were the biggest disappointment in the league, struggling to overcome a relentless string of injuries to QB Jayden Daniels while an aging defense disintegrated along the way.
So which of those was the outlier season? Or were they both anomalies?
Certainly, any team is likely to struggle without its star quarterback, especially one as dynamic as Daniels, the former Heisman Trophy winner at LSU who won NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2024 with 3,568 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and 9 interceptions along with 891 yards and 6 TDs rushing.
Daniels played just seven games last years, missing two for a knee strain, another for a hamstring strain, then the grisly dislocation of his left non-throwing elbow that he subsequently re-injured in his return five weeks later to end his season.
Daniels is full-go for 2026, which should alone vault expectations for the Commanders given what he showed as a rookie.
But what about the defense? That’s Quinn’s specialty, yet the Commanders tumbled from 13th in total defense (327.9 yards per game) and 18th in scoring defense (23.0 points per game) in 2024 to dead-last in total defense (384.0 YPG) and 27th in scoring defense (26.5 PPG) last year.
Realizing the need to get younger and quicker on defense, the Commanders directed most of their free agency and draft capital toward overhauling that unit.
They signed edge rushers Odafe Oweh (four years, $96 million) and K’Lavon Chaisson (one year, $11 million), linebacker Leo Chenal (three years, $24.75 million), defensive lineman Tim Settle (three years, $23.49 million), cornerback Amik Robertson (two years, $15.02 million) and safety Nick Cross (two years, $13 million) among others.
They drafted uber-athletic Ohio State All-American linebacker Sonny Styles with the 7th overall pick while moving on from 36-year-old likely future Hall of Famer and leading tackler Bobby Wagner.
So what’s it all add up to?
Again, the hardest team to project in the NFL this season.
(All contract values referenced from Spotrac.com.)
Washington Commanders Reset
2025 Finish: 5-12
Head Coach: Dan Quinn, second season (17-17, 2-1 playoffs; 60-59 career record, 5-3 playoffs, including Super Bowl appearance with the Falcons)
Hot Seat Meter (0-10): 5.0
Offensive Coordinator: David Blough, first season (first overall as OC, promoted from assistant QBs coach with the departure of Kliff Kingsbury to the Rams as assistant head coach)
Defensive Coordinator: Daronte Jones, first season (first overall as NFL DC, most recently DBs coach and defensive pass game coordinator for the Vikings)
Best Offseason Move: Investing significantly in edge rushers Odafe Oweh and K’Lavon Chaisson
Oweh received the third largest free agent contract this year for edge rushers after Jaelan Phillips with the Panthers and Trey Hendrickson with the Ravens. He was highly coveted after catching fire for the Chargers last season following an early-season trade from the Ravens.
After producing 0 sacks in five games for Baltimore, Oweh unleashed 7.5 sacks in 12 regular-season games for Los Angeles and then 3 sacks and 2 forced fumbles in the Chargers’ playoff loss to the Patriots.
His breakout wasn’t out of the blue, though. Oweh was a late first-round pick of the Ravens in 2021 and had 10 sacks for the team in 2024.
Chaisson, meanwhile, posted a career-high 7.5 sacks in the regular-season for the Patriots and then had 3 sacks and a forced fumble over the team’s first two playoff games on the way to the Super Bowl.
Both players are question marks for the season-opener after being limited late in the preseason by injuries, but in the big picture they should be tone-setters for a more aggressive and opportunistic defense under Quinn in 2026.
Worst Offseason Move: Losing left tackle Laremy Tunsil to signicant injury
Honestly, the Commanders had a solid offseason overall with little to nitpick beyond maybe remaining status-quo on the offensive line.
The biggest lament was beyond the team’s control as the standout left tackle Laremy Tunsil sustained torn triceps early in the preseason that required surgery and could keep him out for most if not all of the season. Washington had just given Tunsil a two-year, $60.2-million extension in March, making him the first offensive lineman in history to average at least $30 million a season.
There’s no softening how devastating this injury is for the Commanders, who had a mediocre at best line aside from him and now have to patch together the most important part of it.
The coaches decided to leave 2025 first-round pick Josh Conerly at right tackle and move third-year lineman Brandon Coleman from left guard to left tackle, where he started 12 games as a rookie and three more last season (filling in for Tunsil).
Chris Paul, who struggled as the Commanders’ left guard last season (graded 74th out of 81 OGs by PFF at 49.5), was competing with Coleman at left guard and now settles back in as the starter there. Nick Allegretti, who got limited snaps at center and right guard as a reserve last season after starting at left guard in 2024, is the starting center, replacing departed free agent Tyler Biadasz (now with the Chargers) and Sam Cosmi returns at right guard.
Reacting to Tunsil’s injury, PFF moved Washington to last in its preseason offensive line rankings.
Washington Commanders Roster Breakdown
Biggest Strength: Quarterback
Daniels has the potential to single-handedly elevate an offense with his top-tier dual-threat abilities. Make no mistake, he was the biggest reason for the Commanders’ stunning surge to the NFC championship game in 2024.
Beyond his regular-season accolades, Daniels delivered on the big stage too.
He passed for 268 yards, 2 TDs and 0 INTs (with 36 rushing yards) in a 23-20 wildcard round win over the Buccaneers and then 299 yards, 2 TDs and 0 INTs (with 51 rushing yards) in a 45-31 upset over the Lions in the divisional round. Even in the 55-23 NFC championship game loss to the Eagles, with the blame going squarely on the defense, he was impressive with 255 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT (with 48 rushing yards and a TD).
Daniels has a decent pair of top targets this year in Terry McLaurin and newly signed Stefon Diggs.
McLaurin, who was limited to 10 games by a quad strain in 2025, had five straight 1,000-yard seasons (plus 919 as a rookie) before that, including a career-high 13 TDs in 2024.
The Commanders rightfully addressed their underwhelming WR depth by signing Diggs to a one-year deal (worth up to $12 million with incentives). Though he was a bit of a no-show in the postseason for the Patriots last year, he nonetheless had 85 receptions for 1,013 yards and 4 TDs in the regular-season, bouncing back from a torn ACL.
This is a homecoming for Diggs, who grew up in Maryland and starred for the Maryland Terrapins in college. He turns 33 years old later this year and is on the downside of his career, but he’ll help this WR corps.
Biggest Weaknesses: Offensive line and secondary
We touched on the offensive line already. As for the defensive side, the Commanders could have a feisty front-7 depending on how quickly Styles adapts to NFL play, but the secondary has some question marks still.
Washington ranked 28th in pass defense (242.5 yards per game) last year.
The safety spot is actually intriguing.
Signing Cross was notable as he had 266 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and 4 interceptions over the last two seasons for the Colts. Projected starting free safety Jeremy Reaves has mostly been a rotational reserve in his eight years with the team, but he made a career-high eight starts in 2025 with 91 tackles, 5 tackles for loss and his second career interception. And Quan Martin has been a starter for most of his three seasons with the team.
It’s the cornerbacks that raise some concern.
Robertson, the free agent addition from Detroit expected to operate at nickel, was rated as one of the worst corners in the league last year while grading out 108th out of 114 eligible CBs (48.7).
Mike Sainristil, the team’s 2024 second-round pick, didn’t grade out much better, ranking 96th (52.7) per PFF. Fellow returning starter Trey Amos, the team’s 2025 second-round pick, is going to miss at least the first four games due to an ankle injury that landed him on the reserve/injured list, but he also graded out poorly last year (55.8, 82nd among CBs).
That leaves veteran journeyman Rasul Douglas, now on his sixth team in 10 NFL seasons, in a likely starting role. Douglas did grade out 20th among CBs (72.7) per PFF last year with 62 tackles, 2 INTs and 13 passes defended for the Dolphins.
Most Intriguing Rookie: LB Sonny Styles
Of course.
Styles delivered an NFL Scouting Combine performance for the ages to showcase his raw athleticism.
He also played a central role on the best defense in college football last season at Ohio State, contributing to a national championship the previous year and totaled 182 tackles, 17 TFLs, 7 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and an INT over the last two seasons.
He may have some growing pains as a rookie, but the upside is undeniably sky-high.
Breakout Player: Wide receiver Antonio Williams
The Commanders waited until the third round of the draft to address a glaring need at wide receiver, but they may have found an incredible value in Antonio Williams, the former Clemson star taken with the 71st overall pick.
Williams had 75 catches for 904 yards and 11 TDs (plus 101 yards rushing and a TD) as a junior in college in 2024 before missing most of the first three games last season with a hamstring injury while finishing with a 55-604-4 line.
With McLaurin and Diggs operating on the outside and an uninspiring WR depth chart otherwise, Williams could emerge as a useful slot weapon for Daniels and this offense.
MVP Pick: QB Jayden Daniels
Well, the Commanders better hope that’s ends up being the answer …
2026 Washington Commanders Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Time (ET) |
| Week 1, Sept. 13 | at Philadelphia Eagles | 4:25 p.m. |
| Week 2, Sept. 20 | at Dallas Cowboys | 4:25 p.m. |
| Week 3, Sept. 27 | vs. Seattle Seahawks | 1 p.m. |
| Week 4, Oct. 4 (in London, England) | vs. Indianapolis Colts | 9:30 a.m. |
| Week 5, Oct. 11 | vs. New York Giants | 1 p.m. |
| Week 6, Oct. 19 (Monday) | at San Francisco 49ers | 8:15 p.m. |
| Week 7 | BYE WEEK | |
| Week 8, Nov. 1 | vs. Philadelphia Eagles | 8:20 p.m. |
| Week 9, Nov. 8 | vs. Los Angeles Rams | 1 p.m. |
| Week 10, Nov. 12 (Thursday) | at New York Giants | 8:15 p.m. |
| Week 11, Nov. 23 (Monday) | vs. Cincinnati Bengals | 8:15 p.m. |
| Week 12, Nov. 29 | at Arizona Cardinals | 4:25 p.m. |
| Week 13, Dec. 6 | at Tennessee Titans | 1 p.m. |
| Week 14, Dec. 13 | vs. Houston Texans | 1 p.m. |
| Week 15, Dec. 20 | vs. Atlanta Falcons | 1 p.m. |
| Week 16, TBD (Flex Game) | at Minnesota Vikings | TBD |
| Week 17, TBD (Flex Game) | at Jacksonville Jaguars | TBD |
| Week 18, TBD (Flex Game) | vs. Dallas Cowboys | TBD |
Washington Commanders Season Prediction And Parting Thoughts
Season Prediction: 8-9
This almost feels like a generous prediction given that gauntlet of a schedule, but on paper the Commanders should absolutely be one of the most improved teams in the NFL this year.
They should be much better offensively if Daniels and McLaurin can stay on the field, while second-year running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt builds on an encouraging rookie season in which he rushed for 805 yards and 8 TDs on 4.6 yards per carry. Rachaad White steps in as the No. 2 RB/third-down back just three seasons removed from rushing for 990 yards and 6 TDs with 70 receptions for 549 yards and 3 TDs in Tampa Bay (while remaining productive the last two seasons as well).
And the offseason upgrades make it likely that Quinn, one of the better defensive coaches in the league, can figure it out on that side of the ball.
But that schedule is daunting.
The Commanders’ first eight games are on the road at NFC East rivals Philadelphia and Dallas (the two favorites in the division), home vs. the reigning Super Bowl champion Seahawks, in London vs. the Colts with no extra rest days on either side, finally a favorable matchup home vs. the Giants, but immediately followed by a cross-country trip to play San Francisco (a legit Super Bowl contender), then a merciful bye and home games vs. the Eagles and the preseason Super Bowl favorite Rams.
Good grief.
If the Commanders make it mid-November in one piece, the back half of the schedule lightens up a little bit.
Because of that slate, we probably overshot the predicted record, but this is where we slotted Washington independent of its schedule so we’ll stick with it.
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