Image: Mandatory credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
For Commanders fans, the offseason was for many years the best time of the year. No games were played, so no games could be lost, and there was always renewed hope for a new dawn from the high draft picks and big free agency signings that came from being a perennial irrelevance.
Fast forward to the current offseason and the franchise is almost unrecognizable from even 12 months ago both on and off the field. A stunning and unexpected 2024 season with a new owner, GM, coaching staff, QB and a completely overhauled roster brought about a change in fortunes that nobody expected to happen as quickly as it did.
The challenge is now to build on the remarkable season, which will be no easy task given the nature of the NFL.
Last years success was achieved with what many perceived to be a roster lacking in overall talent where the sum was greater than the parts and a combination of great coaching, outstanding team culture and the greatest rookie season ever by a QB took the Commanders to the NFC Championship Game.
2025 promises to be much harder, so the question for this offseason is, what have the team done to at the very least maintain their positive ascent? Where has free agency and the draft left the roster, and where are their still potential holes and weaknesses?
A lot has been done to the offense to surround Jayden Daniels both with protection and weapons, but I’m going to focus on the defense, particularly the D line. In 2024 the defense was better than some expected, but ultimately was left wanting in the NFC Championship Game as some familiar frailties returned. Washington couldn’t stop the run all season, particularly on and outside the edges, and too often the secondary gave up big plays and penalties. Pass rush wasn’t disastrous but a lot of it was schemed up, so improvement was required there also.
Surprisingly, Washington didn’t bring in a big-name edge in free agency, and perhaps even more surprisingly also completely passed on the position in the draft. The free agent signings that they did make at edge and on the inside were for what appear to be largely journeymen players to supplement the largely journeymen players already on the roster. The signings of edges Deatrich Wise and Jacob Martin, and defensive tackles Javon Kinlaw and Eddie Goldman barely moved the needle. It has been said, and may be true, that the overall rotation now is solid and likely to be much better at setting the edge and defending the run in general, but still begs the question, where is the pass rush going to come from?
Last year’s sack leader Dante Fowler has moved on, and he accounted for nearly a quarter of the teams 43 sacks, with LB Frankie Luvu next on 8 and no other player having more than 5. It is a legitimate question to ask where the pressures and sacks are coming from in 2025? Certainly, the coaching staff can scheme up some exotic blitzes to bring the likes of Luvu into play but it’s hard to imagine the better teams being too concerned about facing Washington’s front. Clelin Ferrell and Dorance Armstrong were both solid last year, but neither are that dominant edge that most contending teams have. Daron Payne remains solid on the inside but the last of the famous 4 first round picks has never lived up to his billing beyond his contract year a couple of years back.
At this stage of the season there doesn’t appear to be a great deal out there on the free agent market beyond veteran players likely well past their best. The likes of ZaDarius Smith, Von Miller, Matthew Judon, Preston Smith and, as of yesterday, Jadeveon Clowney have been mentioned as potential signings, but none are likely add too much at this stage of their careers.
A trade for the likes of Trey Hendrickson appears unlikely, given the Commanders only have 5 picks in the 2026 draft, so it could be a case of hoping that a team with a surplus of edges releases one closer to the season, or go with what they have.
If what they have ends up being what they go with, they will need Johnny Newton to step up big time, and Javon Kinlaw to justify the surprisingly large contract that he was given. It is possible that both Newton and Kinlaw could see action on the edge in certain formations which may bring success, but it’s a big ask.
Maybe solid will be enough if the bolstered secondary can provide a solid window of coverage time, but it seems that the defensive front is a real question mark as we head towards the 2025 season.
