The ESSENTIAL Football Show 2025 Cap Space: $20.1 million
2026 Cap Space: $86.3 million
2027 Cap Space: $210.8 million
2026 Draft Picks: Own Picks, Round 1, 3, 5-7
Considering how things looked when Jayden Daniels was slow to get up after a Week 2 hit, it’s pretty remarkable Washington sits where they do today.
Even in a loss where he was clearly getting a feel for it, Daniels had been a blast to watch in Week 1, but the overwhelming takeaway was that “he’s not going to get out of September” playing like this.
The “this” was the reckless disregard for his body, and a week later, it looked like the September prediction had been too optimistic.
Instead, Daniels returned to the game, and the “this” stopped.
It was pretty remarkable, because we often see athletes doing things they probably know they shouldn’t be doing - Tennessee has a quarterback named Will Levis you might have heard of - but we very rarely see them correct it that decisively. Daniels seemed to decide he wasn’t going to put his body in harm to that degree anymore and fixed it immediately.
In retrospect, that moment was telling, because over and over, we saw Daniels see where he needed to elevate his game to, and rise to meet the moment.
Washington caught their share of breaks making the playoffs. There was the Tyrique Stevenson moment during their Hail Mary win against Chicago, Jalen Hurts going down injured in their second game against the Eagles, and an overtime win against Atlanta in Week 17 before they were able to roll Marcus Mariota out for Week 18.
The roster was also set up for change, but in Year One under general manager Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn, things couldn’t have gone better, because they landed an elite quarterback, and as long as they have Jayden Daniels, it appears Washington is going to be a contender.
Quarterback
Starter: Jayden Daniels
Backups: Marcus Mariota, Josh Johnson
Running Back
Starters: Brian Robinson Jr.
Backups: Austin Ekeler, Jeremy McNichols, Chris Rodriguez Jr.
Wide Receiver
Starters: Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel, Noah Brown
Backups: Jaylin Lane (4th Rd), K.J. Osborn, Luke McCaffrey
Tight End
Starters: Zach Ertz
Backups: John Bates, Ben Sinnott
Offensive Line
Starters: Laremy Tunsil, Nick Allegretti, Tyler Biadasz, Andrew Wylie, Josh Conerly (1st Rd)
Backups: Samuel Cosmi (ACL), Brandon Coleman, Trent Scott, Nate Herbig, Michael Deiter
Offense Overview
Daniels got it done despite some of the issues around him, but even in Washington’s playoff wins, it was evident that Brandon Coleman was a long ways away from being a competent left tackle in the NFL.
The decisions to trade picks for receiver Deebo Samuel and cornerback Marshon Lattimore are a bit more debatable from where I’m sitting, but regardless of what happened in Houston, I’m all for trading for left tackle Laremy Tunsil and doubling down in the first round with the selection of Josh Conerly Jr. to play the bookend opposite him. It’s an interesting time in the NFL for offensive tackle tandems - Philly, Buffalo, and the Chargers are three that pop to mind as really impressive - but Washington is aiming to join that company with these moves, and it seems like a legit possibility. Tunsil continues to have issues with penalties, many of the pre-snap variety, and 2024 was a down year, but when I watch Houston’s late-season film, I still see a guy who moves like a high-end left tackle, even if Chris Jones was getting a little give charging the inside shoulder on him. As for Conerly, I assume they’ll get him playing sooner than later if things go even close to according to plan; for all Coleman’s issues on the left side, Andrew Wylie was a similar liability at the right tackle spot, and Washington would be in much better shape if he’s in a backup role as the swing tackle moving forward.
The additions at tackle also create possibilities inside; Coleman’s issues were in space, and it seems like his frame would be good at the guard position if he can adjust to the tempo on the inside. Sam Cosmi will presumably retake his right guard position at some point, but while he is recovering from the torn ACL suffered in last year’s playoffs, there is going to be opportunity inside, and Coleman strikes me as offering a lot more upside on the inside than their current left guard, veteran Nick Allegretti, who, like fellow former Chief Andrew Wylie, is really better suited as a backup given his underwhelming physical traits. With Tyler Biadasz in place at center, and the potential of Cosmi returning to form as an impact player, there’s definitely a best-case scenario where Washington becomes a Top 10 line in the upcoming season.
They could also be more dangerous on the outside; Washington has given up a good number of picks to acquire these veterans, but at the same time, the best-case scenario for Deebo Samuel fitting in with Terry McLaurin at wide receiver is awesome, and while 2024 wasn’t his best season, I do think Deebo’s tape in his last couple of games showed a bit more juice. I don’t want to completely chalk his season up to the illness that hospitalized him, because Deebo has had an up and down career, but it’s also fair to think that could have had some lingering effects, particularly given his physical style.
The Commanders also added receiver Jaylin Lane in the 4th round, but outside of that, they will need to hope Zach Ertz has another productive season in the tank at age 34, and that Noah Brown can return to form after the internal injury that ended his season last year. McLaurin should be McLaurin - he’s been a dawg since Week 1 of his rookie season regardless of quarterback - but Washington is certainly counting on Daniels to continue to turbocharge the skill players around him, and for the offensive line to make his life easier as he goes about that. Washington doesn’t have a standout at running back, but as long as Daniels is next to them, Brian Robinson, Austin Ekeler, Jeremey McNichols, and Chris Rodriguez should continue to be effective, though the Lamar Jackson-Derrick Henry and Jalen Hurts-Saquon Barkley do create the question of “what-if” when it comes to the Commanders and a big-time back.
As for Daniels, I expect him to continue to push his game in small areas; he’s already pretty advanced in terms of all the ways he’s winning, and plays with a ridiculous amount of poise. It can be hard to say exactly what pace the refinement comes at, but given all the things he already does well, and his ability to improve in real-time as a rookie, I could see Daniels developing even more nuance in the pocket, giving himself even more ways to win. It may be a few years - or it might be next year - but Daniels has the look of a quarterback who will spend an extended period in the NFL’s MVP discussion.
Defensive Tackle
Starters: Daron Payne, Javon Kinlaw
Backups: Jer’Zhan Newton, Eddie Goldman, Sheldon Day
Edge
Starters: Dorance Armstrong, Deatrich Wise
Backups: Clelin Ferrell, Jacob Martin
Linebackers
Starters: Bobby Wagner, Frankie Luvu
Backups: Jordan Magee, Dominique Hampton, Kain Medrano (6th Rd)
Safety
Starters: Will Harris, Quan Martin
Backups: Percy Butler, Jeremy Reaves
Slot
Starter: Noah Igbinoghene
Backups: Jonathan Jones
Outside CB
Starters: Mike Sainristil, Marshon Lattimore
Backups: Trey Amos (2nd Rd), Kevon Seymour
Defense Overview
Whatever success the team had last season, there was never really a point where I had much confidence in this unit’s ability to do anything but play a highly volatile, turnover-dependent brand of football, and given that the personnel isn’t much changed, it’s hard to see that being different in 2025.
The name Dante Fowler will draw mixed reviews depending on which fan base you’re polling, but given the impact he had in Washington’s edge rush rotation last season, I was surprised that Washington wasn’t able to bring him back. They did replace him with former Patriot Deatrich Wise, but while Wise fills a role with length and size on the end, he doesn’t bring the same burst as Fowler; it’s not consistent, but there are definitely moments where Fowler reminds you he was the 3rd overall pick when he came out, and that was nice to have in a defense that depends on the big play like the Commanders.
Losing Fowler is particularly frustrating given the money Washington gave to Javon Kinlaw, who is a fine player to add to the rotation, but unlikely to add a significant spark given his track record in New York and San Francisco. In the best case scenario, Daron Payne and Jer’Zhan Newton will start ahead of Kinlaw (Washingotn likes to play a nickel-heavy defense with a 4-2 front), so while I don’t hate adding Kinlaw or Wise in a vacuum, it’s a bit tougher to swallow in the context of losing Fowler.
The rest of the pass rushers up front are complementary pieces, so expect linebacker Frankie Luvu to continue his dynamic role at linebacker, adding into the pass rush front to blitz or drop out, creating havoc in the underneath zones, while running mate Bobby Wagner looks to roll out one more solid season handling the middle. (The Wagner bet stands out as one of Washington’s riskier gambits, given his age and the fact that there is nobody with any pedigree in reserve).
Things are just as uncertain on the back end, where the Commanders either need Marshon Lattimore to rediscover his form or second-rounder Trey Amos to hit the ground running at outside cornerback. Lattimore, who was battling a hamstring injury when he was traded from New Orleans, really struggled to move in Washington’s playoff games, showing close to no ability to drive down on receiver’s routes. At 29, you’d like to think he has another year or two in the tank, but there’s no guarantees on that, and lingering hamstring injuries are not ideal at the cornerback position.
In the best-case scenario, Lattimore and Amos would man the outside spots while Mike Sainristil moves back into the slot; Sainristil held up all right on the outside last season, but at 5’9, 180, he lacks the traits to really excel there. Noah Igbinoghene, who is set to man the slot, had by far his best season as a pro with Washington last year, but if Sainristil can give them a playmaker in the slot while Igbinoghene and Jonathan Jones, a free-agent add from New England, provide the depth, I don’t think anyone will be complaining.
To add to the pressure on the cornerback room, Washington is slated to start Quan Martin alongside free-agent addition Will Harris, which is a fairly underwhelming pairing.
It’s certainly a situation where Washington will need to keep adding talent, but the flip side of this is that there are more than a few teams who got by without a lot of players on defense last season - in addition to Washington, Detroit (due to injury) and Tampa Bay (due to choice) made the playoffs without a lockdown defense - so the idea of counting on this equation to balance out makes some sense, given the quarterback already showed he could carry the team with less help around him.
Overall Outlook
Washington’s roster is as quarterback-dependent as any team in the ranks of the contenders, but the situation should be improved this season, and if all goes well, they will be able to fill out the roster in seasons to come; it tends to be a lot easier to develop and retain talent with some organizational stability, and Jayden Daniels gives them that.
The one caveat on all of this is that Washington needs to call it quits on trading for veterans. They didn’t have a third-round pick this year, and they are missing their second and fourth-round picks next season; no first-rounders have gone out the door, but they only need to look south to the squad in Miami to get a reminder of what can happen to a team that overdoes it on using the veteran trade market to “maximize” a rookie window.
Granted, Jayden Daniels brings far better traits to the table than Tua Tagovailoa, and can make up for a lot of things Miami’s quarterback can’t, but that’s not how you want to build a team, or get the most out of your superstar talent at quarterback. The state of the free agent market meant there were limited ways to add talent, so I can sympathize with Adam Peters to a degree, but if you’re asking me whether I’d rather have had the third, fourth, and sixth round picks or Lattimore and the fifth they sent back, it’s a pretty easy decision and it doesn’t result in Lattimore winding up on Washington’s roster today. (I also wonder if they might have been able to acquire Paulson Adebo for a similar price; it would have given New Orleans a better return than the comp pick they could get for Adebo, and would have allowed Washington to roll the dice on a younger player at the same position).
The fifth for Deebo is less of a concern, given how late that pick is and the potential upside of a player as talented as Samuel, and as for Tunsil, I’m not going to argue with bringing in a talent on his level, particularly as there are far more examples of offensive tackles playing at a high level into their mid-thirties than cornerbacks, and it’s entirely possible Tunsil protects Daniel’s blind side into the quarterback’s new - and much more expensive - contract when his rookie pact is up.
The ceiling is a question mark for Washington - they just need more time in the talent acquisition process - but assuming that the investments on the offensive line pay off, they have given themselves a really high floor, pairing an elite quarterback with a potentially elite offensive line. The main thing is to stay patient, because Washington should be in the thick of the NFC competition for the next decade with Jayden Daniels at quarterback, and as the Eagles showed this season, you never know which season is going to be the one where all the draft picks, developing players, and unheralded free-agent adds all come together. The key is to make sure they keep themselves in the batter’s box.