The Washington Commanders crashed back to earth after a shocking 2024. Jayden Daniels, reigning rookie of the year, struggled with injury and a limited corps of playmakers. But that was nothing compared to a defense worse than everyone but the Dallas Cowboys last year -- and the Cowboys' 2025 defense was trash.
Falling from a spot in the NFC Championship Game to a 5-12 season necessitated some sweeping changes. The defense could wind up with as many as eight new starters. Stefon Diggs has arrived to finally give Terry McLaurin a proper WR2 (though both are on the wrong side of 30, so the clock is ticking). Can they get back to lofty heights with a revitalized Daniels?
Let's take a closer look.
Key addition: The linebackers (all)
Washington and its bottom two defense underwent significant
changes this offseason in hopes of providing Jayden Daniels with some badly needed cover. The Commanders were a bottom five unit against the run and the pass, so in came an athletic, thumping duo of Leo Chenal (27.5 percent run stop rate the last two seasons) and Sonny Styles (possibly the most athletic player in the 2026 draft class). They ranked 24th in pressure rate but 15th in blitz rate, so Odafe Oweh and K'Lavon Chaisson signed as free agents.
In all, we could see as many as eight new defensive starters for Washington this fall. Given how last year turned out, that's not a bad thing.
Key departure: C Tyler Biadasz
The Commanders couldn't have known Las Vegas would blast through the contract curve and give Tyler Linderbaum $27 million annually. It still doesn't explain why they released an above average center making a reasonable $10 million per year. Replacement Nick Allegretti didn't exactly inspire confidence in limited action last season — and even though Biadasz suffered a preseason injury that will keep him off the field this season, his absence will still be felt.
Let's check in on the Commanders:
— JP Acosta (@acosta32jp.bsky.social) 2026-08-26T16:52:34.534Z
Good luck, Jayden Daniels!
Potential 2026 breakout player: RB Bill Croskey-Merritt
Last year's buzzy fantasy gem was more than just the beneficiary of a weak running back platoon. Croskey-Merritt's 0.8 rush yards over expected (RYOE) per carry were eighth-best in the NFL last season — and a sign he can still thrive even if the Commanders' offensive line is as bad as preseason reports suggest. The addition of Stefon Diggs and Chig Okonkwo should, at least theoretically, create some space for a young back who saw stacked boxes on 28 percent of his carries.
Position ranks
- QB rank (expected points added per dropback, via RBSDM.com): 27
- WR corps rank: 20 (boosted after signing Stefon Diggs)
- RB corps rank: 24
- TE corps rank: 26
Will they improve in 2026?
Yes, but probably not back to 2024 form. That offensive line and lingering defensive woes should be too much to overcome.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Commanders 2026 season preview: Can offseason fixes get Jayden Daniels right?
