The New York Giants are in the off-season and each NFC East team is retooling their rosters in an effort to conquer the other three franchises. The Giants are the only team with a new coaching staff, as John Harbaugh looks to turn around the renowned, but struggling, franchise. The Philadelphia Eagles remain the dominant team in the division, and they’ve secured three of the last four division titles, including a 2024 Super Bowl victory.
The Dallas Cowboys have underwhelmed, but have owned the New
York Giants. Dallas made the playoffs three years in a row (2021-2023), but have failed to make the off-season the past two seasons. The departure of former defensive coordinator, Dan Quinn, as well as several questionable personnel decisions, have affected the team’s effectiveness.
The aforementioned Dan Quinn is the head coach of the Washington Commanders – a team that went to the NFC Championship game in Jayden Daniels’ epic 2024 rookie campaign. Unfortunately for Washington, the Commanders weren’t commanding much in 2025. Daniels struggled with injuries and the NFL seemed to have more answers for the young man than the Commanders had solutions.
Nevertheless, though, Washington has retooled their roster and added younger defensive players, as well as some offensive weapons, that may help the Commanders get back to the playoffs. Let’s take a look at what Washington did since the end of their 5-12 season:
Key subtractions
LB Bobby Wagner, WR Deebo Samuel, EDGE Von Miller, C Tyler Biadasz, EDGE Preston Smith, RB Austin Ekeler, TE Zach Ertz, CB Marshon Lattimore, RB Chris Rodriguez Jr.
Key additions:
WR Dyami Brown, EDGE K’Lavon Chaisson, LB Leo Chenal, S Nick Cross, RB Jerome Ford, TE Chigoziem Okonkwo, EDGE Charles Omenihu, EDGE Odafe Oweh, CB Amik Robertson, DT Tim Settle Jr., RB Rachaad White, DT DJ Davidson, CB Ahkello Witherspoon
2026 Washington Commanders Draft Class
- Round 1, Pick 7 (7): Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State
- Round 3, Pick 71 (71): Antonio Williams, WR, Clemson
- Round 5, Pick 147 (147): Joshua Josephs, EDGE, Tennessee
- Round 6, Pick 187 (187): Kaytron Allen, RB, Penn State
- Round 6, Pick 209 (209): Matt Gulbin, C, Michigan State
- Round 7, Pick 223 (223): Athan Kaliakmanis, QB, Rutgers
Commanders undrafted rookie free agents:
- Jaden Bradley, WR, UNLV
- Tanoa Togiai, OG, Utah
- Jeffrey M’Ba, DT, SMU
- Malik Spencer, S, Michigan State
- Robert Henry Jr., RB, UTSA
- Quentin Moore, TE, Washington
- Chris Hilton Jr., WR, LSU
- Fred Davis II, CB, Northwestern
- Drew Stevens, K, Iowa
Dan Quinn is losing plenty of veterans who brought valuable experience but were in the twilight of their careers; and, in the case of Ertz and Ekeler, were devastated by serious injuries. Wagner was the green-dot wearer for the last two years for Dan Quinn; he’s played over 1,100 snaps in both of his seasons with Washington, earning exceptional grades from Pro Football Focus.
PFF had Wagner recording 215 tackles with 108 STOPs and 48 pressures over the last two seasons. He’s almost 36-years-old; is he getting long in the tooth? Yes, but his presence was still an invaluable one, and rookie Sonny Styles has gigantic shoes to fill, albeit the addition of former Chiefs linebacker Leo Chenal will help the transition and provide Quinn with more defensive potential.
Tim Settle was also signed to the defensive front, as well as former Giant DJ Davidson. The front looks better than it did in the 2025 season, with Daron Payne as the centerpiece and Frankie Luvu as the WILL; Chenal is an excellent addition for Quinn.
Washington traded several draft assets for Marshon Lattimore, and the former Saints’ cornerback spent much of his time injured. He was released by the team, who will now rely on the young combination of Mike Sainristil and Trey Amos. Veteran Amik Robertson and Ahkello Witherspoon will also work into the rotation. Safety Nick Cross was added to the secondary on a two-year, $14-million contract.
The Commanders put a focus on building a long and strong defensive line, especially on the trenches. Charles Omenihu and Odafe Oweh will provide a physical presence on the edge, with K’Lavon Chaisson giving Quinn more of a finesse element. Joshua Josephs was added in the fifth round out of Tennessee, as well.
Washington’s defense needed an upgrade up-front next to Dorance Armstrong. Von Miller is a future Hall of Famer, and Preston Smith is an aging EDGE who only gave the Commanders 283 snaps last season, so these additions were imperative to Quinn’s vision.
Surrounding Daniels with younger weapons with more explosiveness was wise, and that didn’t start with the second round selection of Antonio Williams out of Clemson, albeit he figures to operate well in the slot for Daniels out of 11 personnel.
Washington also signed the field stretching Dyami Brown to a one-year, $1.75 million contract, as well as former Titans’ and Maryland product Chigoziem Okonkwo, who landed a lucrative three-year, $27-million contract with $16.7-million in guarantees. They’ll join veteran receiver Terry McLaurin as some of the top weapons for Daniels, replacing Deebo Samuel and Zach Ertz.
The Commanders had an interesting approach to their running back room. Ekeler’s injury led to his departure, and Chris Rodrieguz took his talents to Jacksonville. This left the team with Jacory Crosky-Merrit and Jeremy McNichols. However, Adam Peters went out and signed Rachaad White (one-year, up to $4-million) from Tampa Bay and Jerome Ford (one year, $1.4 million) from Cleveland.
Peters then selected Penn State running back Kaytron Allen in the sixth-round. Allen rushed for over 1,100 yards in each of the last two seasons and he finished his career with 39 rushing touchdowns and a yards per carry average of 5.4. The running back room is entirely different, with several effective options, but no clear cut number one back.
Final thoughts
Overall, it’s easy to see what Dan Quinn is attempting to do – get younger and faster on defense while adding explosive weapons on offense. There’s still a void in overall proven talent on offense, although Williams may be a diamond in the rough. Okonkwo will provide a different level of athletic ability than Ertz did, and perhaps Ben Sinnott will take a year three jump.
I was a massive Sonny Styles fan and believe he is the perfect piece for Quinn. Still, the overall personnel of Washington remains a question mark. Much of their 2026 success is contingent on Daniels’ health and development. A step from Josh Conerly Jr. on the offensive line may really assist the stability of the offense under new coordinator David Blough. I understand the vision, but remain skeptical of how it translates and if there’s enough skill around Daniels that can allow him to unlock his potential. At the very least, though, the defense should be much improved.
Grade: B
