The Washington Commanders have made it abundantly clear to the rest of the NFL they believe their window to win a Super Bowl is right now.
After shocking the entire league last year by finishing with a (12-5) record in the regular season and then knocking off the Bucs and No. 1 seed Lions to reach their first NFC Championship game since 1991, Washington is clearly trying to capitalize on the three year window ahead before Jayden Daniels gets a massive payday.
Since the offseason began, GM Adam Peters has made strategic moves to improve the roster in an effort to keep the momentum the Commanders had last year going in 2025.
Really, the first big move came during the 2024 campaign when Peters traded for Saints CB Marshon Lattimore before the end of the deadline. While Lattimore was never healthy last season in D.C., there are high expectations for the All-Pro CB in 2025.
And shortly into the offseason, the Commanders made a big splash by trading for 49ers WR Deebo Samuel, who feels like the perfect compliment to Terry McLaurin and a weapon OC Kliff Kingsbury can use in creative ways.
But after that big move, Washington shocked the entire NFL by trading with the Houston Texans for 6-time Pro Bowl left tackle Larmey Tunsil. They continued to bolster the offensive line in the NFL Draft by selecting Josh Connerly Jr. out of Oregon, who was regarded as one of the best tackles of this year’s class.
Protecting Daniels and providing him with weapons is a clear focal point for the Washington Commanders, but if they are going to make a run to the Super Bowl they have to be better on defense.
They inked former first round DT Javon Kinlaw who has a ton of upside, but has never played up to his talent level. The Commanders are hoping Dan Quinn’s system gets the most out of the versatile defensive linemen. They also added a true starting cornerback who can play opposite of Lattimore by snagging Ole Miss CB Trey Amos in the second round of the draft. Amos had a first round grade from several NFL talent evaluators.
The biggest question mark all offseason has been surrounding the massive void of having a consistent pass rusher. Last year, Dante Fowler Jr. led the Commanders in sacks with 10.5, but he couldn’t agree with the team for a deal to return in 2025.
Peters and the Commanders brass opted to pass over a few top edge rushers in the draft to select Connerly, so there’s a lot of speculation on the plan when it comes to getting to opposing QB’s this season.
Right now, Dorance Armstrong is the top pass rusher on the Commanders roster and he had just five sacks a year ago in D.C.
Anthony Palacios of Last Word on Sports predicts the Commanders could trade Armstrong to gain draft capital or leverage to land Trey Hendrickson, who appears to be getting further and further from reaching an extension with the Bengals:
After spending just one season in Washington, the Commanders could trade defensive end Dorance Armstrong before the 2025 regular season. Reportedly, the team is discussing potential trades before the season starts, and one of those players may include Armstrong, so they could target Bengals’ Trey Hendrickson. It’s easy to see why this might become a move that makes sense for Washington, they need to maximize the contract of quarterback Jayden Daniels and put themselves in a winning roster before they need to recoup their financial resources to extend the rookie when he’s eligible for an extension.