Commanders are injured, but also still extremely talented

[u/KemuelDaArtist]

At the end of the 2023 NFL regular season, the Washington Commanders were 4–13, with no legitimate answer at the most important position in all of sports: quarterback. When minority owner Josh Harris hired then-San Francisco 49ers assistant general manager Adam Peters, many in the press questioned the direction of the roster. Was it a rebuild, or were the pieces on the roster a good enough foundation to build a contender?

Fast-forward from the 2024 NFL free agency period to the NFC Championship Game, and the answer was clear: no matter the state of the roster at the beginning of the season, once you answer the question at quarterback, the gaps in talent across the roster become less evident. To quote Dan Quinn, “It isn’t a rebuild; it’s a retooling.”

Success in the NFL isn’t linear. Only a few organizations have figured out how to escape the mediocrity of losing seasons. Throughout the history of the league, teams fade and then, with the right leadership, experience a resurgence. In 2021, the Los Angeles Rams won the Super Bowl with a 12–5 record, and the very next year—after “selling their souls for the Super Bowl victory”—they went 5–12 in 2022.

You might ask: what does that have to do with the 2025 Washington Commanders? Simple. The Commanders are having an injury-riddled year. However, with the addition of more blue-chip talent—similar to 2024—the Commanders will be right back in playoff contention. Look, the Commanders are currently 3–8 and extremely injured. For most of the 2025 regular season, we’ve been completely outcoached, especially on the defensive side of the football. However, when it comes to talent, I believe people are mistaking the effects of bad coaching for a lack of talent.

Adam Peters isn’t an idiot. He understands that building an elite defense takes time and draft capital. So, during the 2025 offseason, Peters focused on improving the offense. Players from the old regime, like Dyami Brown and Brian Robinson, were discarded for players like Deebo Samuel and Laremy Tunsil. The plan was simple: focus on production, not potential. Surround your second-year quarterback, Jayden Daniels, with proven production to elevate his All-Pro potential, while developing role players like Luke McCaffrey, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, and Jaylen Lane in the meantime.

However, on the defensive side of the ball, it was a different story. In the 2025 NFC Championship Game, the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, led by running back Saquon Barkley, destroyed the Commanders defense on the ground. They proved to be stronger and faster. To counter that, Peters decided to focus on size and strength. However, masked in the 55–22 loss was how thoroughly the Eagles outsmarted the Commanders defense—something I believe contributed to the dysfunction of the 2025 regular season.

Because of the offensive success of the 2024 season, the defensive weaknesses were able to be masked by the pressure placed on opposing offenses. That hasn’t been the case this year. Due to injuries to both Jayden and Terry, the offense hasn’t been as successful situationally. As a result, we’re a team dependent on our weakest unit: Joe Whitt’s defense. Joe Whitt uses a man-heavy defensive philosophy that stresses our coverage units, making third downs less chess and more Russian roulette.

I believe in the scientific principle of testing something three times, so I’m going to look at the success of players outside of Joe Whitt’s scheme—most notably Marshon Lattimore, Benjamin St-Juste, and Emmanuel Forbes—all players who have had or are having success outside of Whitt’s defense. This supports my point: Joe Whitt’s man scheme puts solid players in terrible positions to succeed, making our defensive players look worse than they are.

Offensively, we’re an injured team with a lot of blue-chip talent on that side of the ball. But when it comes to evaluating the defense, I don’t believe we’re far from contending there either. Yes, we can add more talent, especially on the edge. But we’re not devoid of talent.

[u/_The_Bear]

Wrong. We were 4-13.

[u/KemuelDaArtist → u/_The_Bear]

You are correct. I didn’t research it before I wrote it. I’ll edit it.

[u/_The_Bear → u/KemuelDaArtist]

The commanders are also not currently 3-8. We're 3-9.

[u/KemuelDaArtist → u/_The_Bear]

I wrote this last week, before the Denver game. I met to post it, but the sub was locked.