Editor’s note: We’ll count down the top 10 Commanders players on the 2026 roster regardless of position sporadically over the next few weeks. Before we get to it, here’s how we arrived at the ranking: Our Scott Bair, Scott Jennings and Mark Tyler compiled a top 13 – no ranking was identical — with points assigned to each ranking slot from all three lists. We used these point values to form a consensus top 10 ranking. We’ll write a story on each member of the top 10 and another on others receiving
votes at the end. Plus, Mark will probably have a Tyler’s Take with his thoughts. You’ll surely object to some of these rankings, though debate is kind of the point with lists like this. Today we focus on No. 4:
Our roster rankings : 10. Leo Chenal | 9. Chig Okonwko | 8. Nick Cross | 7. Sam Cosmi | 6. Sonny Styles | 5. Daron Payne
The Commanders spent tons of money in NFL free agency. The lion’s share went to Odafe Oweh. The edge rusher signed a four-year contract worth up to $100 million, with $68 million in guarantees.
That’s a ton for someone who has generally been more of a situational or rotational player. The dividends have been strong the past two seasons – more on that in a bit – and were enough to make Washington comfortable betting big on a young, talented player on presumptively on the ascent.
Oweh will be 27 most of the regular season – he turns 28 in December — and just barely 32 at the end of his deal. Those are prime years where the Commanders hope Oweh can be a frontline pass rusher off the edge.
Why Odafe Oweh is ranked No. 4
The ranking between Oweh and interior defensive lineman Daron Payne was extremely close, but Oweh was ranked slightly higher. He’s an intriguing talent with the size you want at 6-foot-5 and 251 pounds, with the speed and power you need to excel off the edge in new coordinator Daronte Jones’ system.
His relative athletic score was super high – catching a trend among big Adam Peters investments? – with solid combine numbers in all the right places.
The combination of talent and recent production has Oweh high on these roster rankings, which comes with an expectation that his best is yet to come as the Commanders work to revitalize their pass rush.
What he has done
The Baltimore Ravens made Oweh a first-round draft pick in 2021, and he was a productive player for them. He was also dispensable. Oweh was a rotational player during his first three seasons, with average returns unbecoming of his draft slot. Oweh was far better in 2024 in terms of production. He had 10 sacks that season despite a so-so quarterback pressure rate of 11.3%.
The Ravens traded Oweh to the Los Angeles Chargers in October of 2025, a sign they didn’t want to pay him. That happened during his best year as a pro. While his 7.5 sacks, all with the Chargers, didn’t meet his previous totals, Oweh’s 15.8% quarterback pressure rate was a career high and top-flight among edge rushers last season.
What he’ll do
All this quarterback pressure rate talk might seem tedious, but it’s an important stat. Oweh gets to the quarterback a ton. Translating that to sacks and errant throws and turnovers is the key. He’s clearly capable of creating havoc, but how will Oweh fare without expert pass rushers around him.
He hasn’t been the alpha to this point, and he’ll be counted on to be one in 2026. His response to that expectation will be a major factor in how the Commanders fare defensively in 2026. Oweh doesn’t just need to be a double-digit sacks guy. He needs to make game-changing plays and lead the defensive line. There’s belief he can handle that responsibility. It’s now time to produce and validate that contract.
