The Washington Commanders have made moves all offseason to make a run to the Super Bowl in 2025.
Last season the Commanders surprised the entire NFL and most likely themselves by reaching the NFC Championship game after winning just four games in 2023.
Now, GM Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn understand they have one of the top young quarterbacks in the league — and with Jayden Daniels under center — the Commanders should be contenders on a yearly basis.
Last year, Daniels led a Commanders team pieced together with high-upside veterans playing on one-year deals to a (12-5) regular season finish. Their season ended one game away from the Super Bowl, and while the Washington brass may have viewed it as a multi-year rebuild before the 2024 campaign, expectations have now changed in D.C.
The Commanders started making major moves toward the future in the middle of last season, when they traded for All-Pro CB Marshon Lattimore.
When the offseason began, it became even more evident the Commanders believe their Super Bowl window is right now. They pulled off a trade to acquire jack-of-all-trades WR Deebo Samuel from the 49ers. After that, they shocked the entire NFL by trading for 5-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil in a move nobody saw coming.
Washington put an emphasis on re-signing veteran leaders that produced at a high level in 2024 like Zach Ertz and Bobby Wagner. They also signed a few players who could shine in starting roles like Javon Kinlaw and Jonathan Jones.
In the NFL Draft, Washington continued to solidify the offensive line in the first round by selecting Josh Conerly Jr., who should play opposite of Tunsil at right tackle. They added another major piece on defense in the second round by selecting Ole Miss CB Trey Amos, who many talent evaluators assigned a first round grade.
Every move the Commanders have made this offseason has made it clear they are trying to build a roster that can win a Super Bowl in 2025.
One of the only major question marks has been Washington’s plan to find a pass rusher, as they didn’t sign any big-time edge rushers in free agency and opted not to draft any either. Dante Fowler Jr. led the Commanders in sacks last season with 10,5, but he won’t be on the roster in 2025 and there’s a major void to fill.
There have been rumors linking Washington to Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson, but that feels like a long shot as of now. One prediction has the Commanders trading for another Cincinnati pass rusher before he ever gets to take a snap playing for the Bengals.
Shemar Stewart — who the Bengals selected in the first round back in April — has sat out of both OTA sessions due to a contract dispute that both sides refuse to budge on.
Anthony Palacios of Last Word on Sports believes the Bengals will trade Stewart to the Washington Commanders before the start of the season:
Meanwhile, there aren’t a lot of physical ball players on the defensive side other than Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu. They lost Dante Fowler Jr., who led the team in sacks, and someone like Deatrich Wise probably won’t replicate the same results. Shemar Stewart could at least allow the Commanders to grow on defense while they have a solid offense under quarterback Jayden Daniels.
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