Since the end of the Washington Commanders’ successful 2024 run, quarterback Jayden Daniels has collected an Offensive Rookie of the Year award and the organization has landed a new stadium deal in D.C., revealed pretty pictures of said stadium, announced the 2027 NFL Draft will be in D.C., renovated its practice facility, acquired a premier left tackle, paid that left tackle, returned to the international stage and, most recently, teased new uniforms that will be revealed April 15 (I bet I know what they look like!).
The future of Washington’s NFL team has never seemed brighter.
If only the product on the field matched.
The Commanders are back in rebuilding mode after their 2025 season turned into a dud. But through the first wave of free agency, general manager Adam Peters has addressed numerous roster needs and instilled some hope that a turnaround is in their near future.
Many questions remain, however, so I tried my best to answer all of your mailbag inquiries about the state of the team and its upcoming plans.
(Note: Questions may have been edited for clarity and length.)
Given the Commanders’ cap space, which is still the most in the NFC, why do you imagine they just won’t sign a wide receiver who is capable of complementing (Terry) McLaurin? It can’t be that they are waiting on (Brandon) Aiyuk to become available, because who knows if he can even play anymore? I know they went after several players, but at some point you have to outbid the competition when your biggest advantage is cap space. — Canes_55
I could see them drafting a wide receiver and signing a veteran late in free agency. I could also see them continuing to add to the group during camp and after roster cuts, through waiver claims. This draft class is deep on receiver talent, so even if they don’t get one in the first round, they could get a quality player on Day 2 or later. Shoot, McLaurin was a third-rounder.
Now, if they get Jeremiyah Love in the first round, the need for a top-tier wideout is lessened slightly because of Love’s versatility. He fills the void of a second top-tier playmaker.
I agree with you that they can’t bank on Aiyuk given his history. And I believe the Commanders believe that, too; Peters knows Aiyuk perhaps as well as any executive in the NFL, other than John Lynch. If the Commanders get him on a one-year, highly incentivized deal and he shows out, fantastic. If not, they don’t lose much.
I don’t think they should feel the need to outbid the competition just to get someone, and I think they were wise to draw the line with Alec Pierce. He’s a very fine receiver, but he’ll have salary-cap charges of $35.2 million and $32.2 million in 2027 and 2028. No thanks.
Of all the free-agency moves and re-signings so far, is there one move in particular that you’re especially excited about? — Joshantman
Amik Robertson, the cornerback who played the past two seasons in Detroit, is interesting to me. He’s versatile, he’s experienced, and I love the way he plays. He has a fire that has been missing from the defense as a whole. He plays bigger than he is, and he led the Lions with 12 passes defended last season. So I’m curious if others feed off that.
On the other hand, he is 5-feet-9, missed more than 20 percent of his attempted tackles and gave up an average of 12.6 yards per catch when targeted in coverage last season, according to PFF.
This is true for any player, but it could be especially true for Robertson: How the Commanders use him will determine his value. If he’s put in the right spot, he could be a boon for the defense. If he’s out of place, similar to how Frankie Luvu was for much of last season (and I realize that was based on necessity because of injuries), his play and that of the defense could suffer.
It’ll also be interesting to see how they use him in conjunction with Mike Sainristil and whomever else they add to the cornerbacks room. Will Robertson mostly play the slot and Sainristil (barring the team taking a first-round corner) stay outside? Will Sainristil go back in the slot and Robertson play mostly outside?
Is there any place kicker in the draft who the Commanders would consider with a late-round draft pick if they are available? — Mike S.
Selfishly, I would love for them to draft a kicker. 1) The Commanders’ endless carousel of kickers is getting ridiculous, 2) Kickers are proving their worth more than ever in recent years, and 3) I’m a nerd and am fascinated by specialists (don’t get me going on directional punting). I mean, tell me you’re not intrigued by Jaffer Murphy, the UTSA kicker who ran a 4.50 40 and drilled a 70-yard field goal during his pro day.
But will they draft one? Eh, they have a lot of other positions they still need to address, and they enter the draft with only six picks. Adding a kicker as a priority free agent to compete with Jake Moody may be the better play.
They cut (Tyler) Biadasz because he did not fit their planned run-focused offense. Biadasz is a very good blocker for pass plays, but he is relatively immobile, so he is not a good run blocker as that requires the blocker to move as he blocks. — Doyle C.
I’m going to have to disagree with you there. Biadasz actually graded out better in run blocking than pass pro in both seasons with the Commanders.
Last season, you mentioned a “different” vibe to training camp than the one in 2024. Obviously, the two resulting seasons had drastically different results. Can you elaborate on that observation? — Nelson B.
Their receiving corps was concerning throughout camp. McLaurin held out because of his contract dispute, Noah Brown was nursing an injury, and the drop-off in talent and depth was severe. The offense was totally different without either of those two on the field, which was worrisome at the time: What if either or both missed time because of injury or any other reason? Then what? And sure enough, they both did, and the offense struggled mightily, just as it struggled in camp.
Then there was the schedule. The Commanders’ 2024 schedule was relatively friendly. They traveled the fewest miles of any NFL team that season, and their strength of schedule (based on opponents’ win percentage the year prior) was tied for 16th.
That changed in 2025, because of their success. They faced eight teams that were in the playoffs in 2024 and had five prime-time games, including a Monday nighter in Kansas City. They also traveled to Madrid and faced a gantlet of top defenses in the middle of their schedule.
Plus, think back to the 2024 season: The Commanders won seven games on the last play from scrimmage. Seven games decided by one play. That’s an insanely narrow margin. Had any of those gone the other way, the conversation about the 2024 Commanders would’ve been much different. But everything seemed to go right that season, just as everything seemed to go wrong in 2025.
Then there were the continued questions about the defense. Washington got bigger up front with the hope of being more efficient against the run. But the group never seemed to come together as envisioned, and the lack of an elite pass rusher was glaring. It was especially glaring in the Commanders’ joint training camp practice with the New England Patriots in Foxboro, Mass.
Then there was the roster construction. The Commanders re-signed many of the veterans who helped them win in 2024, making their roster the oldest in the league. And they still didn’t have a clear answer at kicker.
I mentioned all of these things in my reporting and in various interviews, but none of them were groundbreaking. All of these issues were on display during training camp and preseason. And if we’re being honest, my prediction was actually way off. I can’t believe I thought they’d win eight games!
If all of the team’s top-rated defenders were off the board and they had the choice in the first round between (Carnell) Tate and Love, who would you draft and why? It seems a lot of the mocks gravitate toward Love. Tate plays at a position of greater long-term need. — Andrww F.
Ohio State receiver Carnell Tate could be an option for the Commanders in the first round. (Jason Mowry / Getty Images)
I’d go with Love. In fact, if Love is there at No. 7, I might take him over a pass rusher, too. It’s rare to find an immediate plug-and-play dynamic running back. Love can change Washington’s offense in multiple ways by boosting the run game and opening up the pass game.
Tate is a heck of a talent, and I agree the Commanders need another top-tier wide receiver. But running back and receiver are both “long-term needs” for this franchise; they need a No. 2 to complement McLaurin, but they also need consistent help in the run game. Jacory “Bill” Croskey-Merritt has a lot of potential, but he hasn’t yet shown he can be a consistent threat, and he’s still developing in the pass game.
This draft class is deep on receiving talent, and, as I mentioned earlier, I think Washington could land a good wideout in the second or third rounds if needed. Love seems like the better value in my mind — if he becomes what so many think he can be at the pro level.
Thought about the first round of the draft? I see them looking to trade down for more picks, but if no good offer comes forth, then I see them drafting (Caleb) Downs with the seventh pick. — Raymond_Vass
To trade down in the draft, you need a partner wanting to trade up. Finding that this year will be difficult. Usually teams trade up in the first round to acquire a quarterback, and there’s only one quarterback — Fernando Mendoza — who is widely viewed as a potential immediate starter. There’s little doubt about where he’ll go in the draft.
I see Washington staying at No. 7, though possibly looking to trade back in the later rounds to acquire more picks. The Commanders’ options in the first round could be wide open. Love would be my first choice if he’s still available. If Sonny Styles if available, he would be my second preference. After that, I’d be fine with Downs, David Bailey, Rueben Bain Jr., Arvell Reese, Tate, Makai Lemon or Mansoor Delane. The Commanders will have at least a couple of those to choose from.
Why didn’t they go after (Trey) Hendrickson harder? They signed (Odafe) Oweh for about $100 million. But the Ravens signed Hendrickson for $112 million. So, presumably they could have had Hendrickson for a little more than they gave Oweh, and nobody would argue who is the better player. — Chuck J.
You’re assuming Hendrickson chose Baltimore for money alone. I was told the Commanders were “very aggressive” in pursuing Hendrickson, and this was after they had already agreed to terms with Oweh.
I’m fine with the Commanders drawing the line on Hendrickson. He’s one of the game’s best pass rushers, but he’s 31 (will be 32 in December) and coming off core muscle surgery. If they signed him to the same deal (four years, $112 million with $60 million guaranteed at signing), the Commanders’ earliest out if things went bad would be after the 2027 season — and the Commanders would still have $27 million in dead money on their cap.
Oweh is only 27 and his four-year deal is worth $96 million and includes $50.6 million guaranteed at signing.
Please provide some context for why David Blough, with relatively little coaching experience, is now the OC. Is it his relationship with Jayden Daniels as his prior QB coach? Is it his perceived creativity that you see in other NFL young offensive geniuses? — Steven S.
From what I was told, Kliff Kingsbury and the Commanders had different visions of what the offense could and would be with Daniels. They obviously had a lot of success in 2024 with Kingsbury’s offense, but you could argue that some of the team’s deficiencies were masked that year because Daniels played otherworldly for a rookie. Their struggles in 2025 certainly do not fall solely on Kingsbury — not even close. That the offense remained even somewhat efficient with their backup quarterback and a rotating cast of receivers was impressive.
But clearly Dan Quinn wanted more balance — for the offense and for Daniels. Surely there are reasons so many teams incorporate schemes rooted in the West Coast offense and none really employ Kingsbury’s system, which is rooted in the Air Raid and uses a ton of no-huddle.
And to Kingsbury’s credit, you could see how he tried to adapt his offense late in the season to fit the quarterback changes and the desires of the Commanders.
Blough makes sense considering his rapport with Daniels and his years of learning under Ben Johnson, Kevin O’Connell and Kingsbury, among others. Granted, he was mostly a player then, and he played sparingly as a backup. But he was still in on all the practices and meetings.
And Quinn didn’t want to repeat what he believes was a mistake in his past, when he let talented young coaches leave Atlanta when he was the Falcons’ head coach. He believes Blough fits that mold and has the mind and temperament to be a good play caller and coach. It’s a huge jump from assistant quarterbacks coach, especially after only two seasons of coaching in total. And it’s a huge risk for Quinn; his seat will be quite warm if the Commanders don’t quickly turn things around. But clearly Quinn believes enough in Blough to risk it.
How are Adam Peters’ picks panning out? Especially from his inaugural draft, outside of Jayden? Did they mostly pan out? Or have the Commanders been bad at player development? — Southeast D.
I think it’s still too early to determine that. The Commanders have had one exceptional season and one exceptionally disappointing season. To find any common threads would be difficult. Just as you wouldn’t assume Daniels is a bust based on 2025, other picks shouldn’t be cast in a similar light. I believe a draft class needs at least three years before it can truly be judged.
That said, the Commanders do need more consistent production from all of their 2024 and ’25 draft picks. Sainristil seemed to be improving and, on the whole, had an impressive year for a rookie in 2024. But both he and Quan Martin took steps back in ’25. Was that because of coaching? Scheme? Or their own doing?
Johnny Newton hasn’t been the future game changer he was pegged as being when the Commanders took him in the second round in 2024. He had a slow start to his rookie season because of his foot injuries, but he also hasn’t quite found his role in the defense. Perhaps he will under Daronte Jones.
Ben Sinnott’s production hasn’t matched his second-round draft status either, Brandon Coleman (third round) was benched two games into last season after switching positions, Jordan Magee (fifth) remains somewhat of a mystery at linebacker, and Javontae Jean-Baptiste (seventh) now faces an uphill battle to make the roster with the influx of new pass-rushing talent.
As for last year’s draft class, “Bill” (seventh) exceeded the value of his draft slot, and certainly the Commanders hope he continues to ascend. Right tackle Josh Conerly Jr. (first) improved throughout the season, Trey Amos (second) was arguably their most consistent cornerback when healthy, and Jaylin Lane (fourth) showed his worth, especially on special teams. It’s just too early to decide what they can or will become.
Is there a rule against Washington Post employees having podcasts? You seem to be the only major beat writer without one, so I’m wondering if you’ll start one now. I love you on everyone else’s podcasts but we need more of you, Nicki! — Anonymous U.
No one has ever said they need more of me rambling, but I appreciate the kind words. I actually did want to start a podcast while at The Post, and really pushed for it. But the paper wouldn’t allow it. I considered starting one after joining (re-joining?) The Athletic, and I may still try to do one at some point. But I opted against it for now. I don’t want to take away more time from my son.