2026 Commanders Outlook: 3 Reasons for Optimism, 3 Reasons for Concern

The 2026 season sits in the distance, exactly 100 days from today; soon, the Washington Commanders will be gearing up to start their opening-day game in Philadelphia against the Eagles.

While there's still more unknown about the direction Washington will take this season than known, let's look at reasons to be optimistic they will make a playoff run, as well as reasons they won't.

Will: Jayden Daniels Will be Under Center

Creating an environment where your Heisman Trophy-winning franchise quarterback is protected more is a win in itself. New Commanders offensive coordinator David Blough hopes to do just that this fall. His vision for the team has Daniels under center, utilizing a strong running game through play action.

That's not to say Daniels can't get the job done running the ball as well; he gained 1,168 yards rushing on 206 carries and added 8 touchdowns. Blough is just banking on getting more out of him in a more traditional setup and has been spending the offseason piecing together the perfect system for him.

Will: Commanders Have a 3rd Place Schedule With a Bye Mid-Season

For what it's worth, the Commanders will play a third-place schedule, which puts them against three teams that also finished third in their division: two from the NFC and one from the AFC. The perceived advantage here is that Philadelphia and Dallas have to play teams that finished 1st and 2nd in their respective divisions, which gives Washington a small scheduling edge.

Washington also has their bye week in 2026 during Week 7. That's sooner than any year since 2021. For reference, Washington had bye weeks in Week 12 in 2025, Week 14 in 2024, Week 14 in 2023, Week 14 in 2022, and Week 9 in 2021. That late-season bye week helped the 2024 squad as it loaded up for what would be an NFC Championship run, but the other years proved brutal down the stretch, with the team wilting and left in ruins on the injury report.

Will: Most Continuity the Offensive Line has Seen in Years

Commanders Contenders — Dec 7, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; A detail view of the Washington Commanders helmet before the game at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Washington has quietly put together an offensive line that consists of bookend tackles, Laremy Tunsil at left tackle and Josh Conerly Jr. at right tackle, to go along with Sam Cosmi at right guard. The roster battle for the left guard position is already in full force with Brandon Coleman and Chris Paul battling it out, and Nick Allegretti is really the only question mark at center.

Allegretti is a question mark because he's never been a long-term starting center in the NFL. That's not to say he's not a veteran of the interior, just that he's never actually snapped the ball full-time. He has snapped it when needed, though, as he did when Tyler Biadasz was hurt against the Cowboys on Christmas. He also played a couple of games at center while in Kansas City. Allegretti was actually recruited out of high school as a center and played the position some while at the University of Illinois.

"Before J [quarterback Jayden Daniels] gets the play call and gets in the huddle, it's my huddle," Allegretti said. "Just getting the boys ready, getting the boys right for when J is in the huddle."

Won't: Washington has no Outside CB to Play Opposite Trey Amos

If I had one position set that I believe, on paper, could make or break the 2026-2027 Washington Commanders, I'd say it's the cornerbacks. If this unit does well, the sky is the limit for how far above mediocre they could be defensively. On the other end of the spectrum, this group will likely sink the team if they can't make it work. Of course, that's on paper and not live football, where Commanders defensive coordinator Daronte Jones can scheme around it and shift everyone into mismatches.

It's silly to think their secondary is not talented. Second-year cornerback Trey Amos is out to prove himself after losing half of his rookie season to a broken fibula, and you're not going to find two players with bigger hearts and competitive spirits who are tougher than Amik Robertson and Mike Sainristil. At the moment, Sainristil holds the spot opposite of Trey Amos and is widely respected on the team, but is mainly known for being one of the better slot corners coming out of the draft from the University of Michigan a couple of seasons ago. Sainristil also played some WR while at Michigan, an ode to his good hands. Barring a trade, the team seems all set to give this group a chance to prove itself.

Won't: No Number 2 Receiver on the Roster

Much has been said about the Washington Commanders' receiver room for how deep it is and how it lacks top-level receivers in the depth chart past Terry McLaurin. The fact still hasn't changed, though the word from OTAs is that Luke McCaffrey and Treylon Burks are putting in work. David Blough has a plan to work around not having a number 2, using everything from pre-snap motion to quick hitters designed to beat the defense before it can react. It helps when your offense moves McLaurin all over the field.

Won't: Having Two First-Year, First-Time Playcallers

One of the scariest things that any coach or player can enter a season knowing is that your playcaller, on whatever side of the ball, has no experience calling plays on their own. I can understand and appreciate faith in good people and believing in the best, but no one knows how either playcaller will do until it's time to actually take the field and call the plays. Dan Quinn must have nerves of steel.

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