Washington Commanders general manager Adam Peters set out to give his team and coaching staff a bit of an overhaul during the offseason. He brought in new coordinators and other coaching staff, and the roster looks quite different from what it did in 2025, especially defensively. Those changes, combined with the injuries the team sustained last season, have led NFL experts and analysts to view the Commanders less favorably.
That negativity has put a chip on the shoulders of the Commanders’ roster, and the fuel for that fire continues to pour in. The Athletic’s Mike Sando had six NFL executives rank all 16 NFC teams, and the Commanders landed at 13th.
Votes: 13-12-13-14-9-13 | Avg: 12.3 | Median: 13 | Vegas wins: 7.5 (T-11th-NFC)Tier votes: Division
contender: 1 | Sub-.500: 4 | Top-10 pick: 1The voter highest on Washington thought Jayden Daniels' return to health was enough to lift a Commanders team that has question marks entering coach Dan Quinn's third season, including first-time coordinators on offense (David Blough) and defense (Daronte Jones)."They get Jayden back, and Terry McLaurin will be healthy," this exec said. "They've added some really good parts defensively in free agency. They have to get the offensive line solidified."Left tackle Laremy Tunsil's season-ending injury will not help."I think they are going to be bad," another exec said. "The quarterback is talented, but his style of play, unless he changes it, is a concern. The weapons around him are OK, but I don't think it's a dynamic team offensively. Defensively, they plateaued."
Let’s pull back the blinders for a minute and take a close look at the Commanders’ 2024 season. What weapons did Jayden Daniels have to work with besides Terry McLaurin? What did the defense look like? How was Daniels’ protection? As you answer those questions, remember how that season turned out for the Commanders, culminating in Offensive Rookie of the Year honors for Daniels and an NFC Championship appearance for the Commanders.
The 2025 season was plagued by injuries, so it’s impossible to know what could have happened “if” certain players remained healthy. Now, everyone wants to throw the Commanders to the bottom of the league, which is only making the players want to win that much more.
Three teams ranked below the Commanders: the New York Giants, Atlanta Falcons, and Arizona Cardinals.
There’s only one way to quell this onslaught of negativity toward the Commanders: Win games. That’s what they’re going to have to do early in the season if they want the league to take them as seriously as they did in 2024. For now, they should absolutely use every low ranking they’ve been given as a reason to strive for success.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: NFL execs rank Commanders near bottom of the NFC
