We often see teams that go “all-in” during an offseason, believing that they are close to winning a Super Bowl, and for the Washington Commanders, that’s what they did last offseason.
Trading away picks for Deebo Samuel and Laremy Tunsil, those two moves were seen as ones that could push Washington over the top.
But sometimes, taking a big swing like that means you miss altogether, and the Commanders, due to injuries in 2025, missed horribly and ended with a 5-12 record just one year after a 12-5 record and an NFC Championship appearance.
So, they swung and missed, and ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler now reveals the startling position Washington finds itself in.
“The Commanders were close in 2024,” Fowler wrote. “The roster is problematic in spots, though. Defensive impact players are older. Pass rush is a major need. And some recent high draft picks have been slow to develop. Peters has just two draft picks in the first four rounds this year because of previous trades. Adding a skill player at tight end or running back would be useful.”
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The most eye-opening thing Fowler wrote was that Washington has just two draft picks in the first four rounds. That isn’t great, especially for a team that needs to fill several roster spots.
At the time of writing, though, the Commanders, per Over The Cap, have a little over $76 million in cap space, so there is money to spend.
But the draft picks aren’t great, and you can’t rely on just free agency to fix your team in one offseason, so the Commanders might listen to a trade offer for a star player in an attempt to get more picks.
But either way, Washington hopes that when Jayden Daniels returns, he can fix all their ails, because right now, there’s a lot of them.


