With the first two waves of free agency and the NFL draft in the books, media and fans are beginning to project how the Commanders 53-man roster will look come early fall.
Below is my way too early 53-man roster prediction and color-coded key rating the players from Blue Chip down to Rookie.
Offense: 24
The Commanders 2025 offense wasn’t as bad statistically as the team’s record would suggest.
Washington did struggle with injuries, especially at wide receiver and quarterback, but there were some bright areas –
including the offensive line with Laremy Tunsil anchoring the left side, and rookie running back Bill Croskey-Merritt putting up 873 total yards and eight touchdowns in just seven starts.
I have not projected anything here with the potential addition of 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk – who many speculate will join the Commanders as soon as he is released by San Francisco’s petty front office.
You will see some “OR” in between some of these players. That’s where I think we don’t yet have a defined starter, so a good battle could happen during training camp between those positions.
Defense: 26
Washington’s 2025 defense was one of the worst in the NFL. Dan Quinn decided to make a mid-season change by demoting defensive coordinator Joe Whitt from play-calling duties, but that had little effect on the overall product. Whitt was fired at the end of the season and Daronte Jones was brought in as the team’s new defensive coordinator.
Adam Peters put a huge focus on the defensive side of the ball in free agency, bringing in pieces to essentially turn over half of the projected starting lineup. With the seventh overall pick, Washington took blue-chip linebacker Sonny Styles and went back to the defensive side of the ball in round five to select Tennessee EDGE Joshua Josephs.
One thing that may stand out to you is all the orange in the secondary. I know this may look a bit depressing at first glance, but I do think some of these players can make the color-jump to Red with a good season – especially in a scheme that plays to their strengths and allows them to shine.
On a really positive note – this defensive transformation is profound and hopefully the results will be too.
Special Teams: 3
- Punter – Tress Way
- Kicker – Drew Stevens
- Long Snapper – Tyler Ott
Way and Ott should not be a surprise, but I do have rookie kicker Drew Stevens making the roster over Jake Moody. Should be a fun camp battle to watch.
Please share your thoughts in the comments section.
