Washington Holds Top-10 Waiver Priority as Final Roster Takes Shape — Commanders Daily

Washington owns the No. 7 waiver priority as it works toward its initial 53-man roster, giving GM Adam Peters an early shot at players released around the league. Plus, Boogie Basham’s brief stay with the Commanders is already over.

Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders general manager Adam Peters (L) talks with Commanders owner Josh Harris (R) on the field prior to the game against the Tennessee Titans at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

With the No. 7 waiver wire priority, Commanders GM Adam Peters has massive leverage to claim offensive line upgrades after releasing Boogie Basham. | Philip Hughes | HTTR4LIFE LLC

The Washington Commanders officially have until 6 p.m. Sunday to cut their roster from 91 down to 53 players, a process they started Saturday night. One thing to keep in mind: no matter who is on the original list, it can and likely will change frequently before the team kicks off the season in Week 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles. Currently, Washington owns the No. 7 position in the waiver order, meaning Commanders GM Adam Peters has the priority to claim players before 25 other teams get a chance. Through the third regular-season game, the waiver wire order will reflect the 2026 NFL Draft order.

The six teams that can claim players before Washington are the Las Vegas Raiders, New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals, Tennessee Titans, New York Giants, and the Cleveland Browns. For a Washington claim to succeed, none of the six teams ahead of them can put in a claim for that same player. The waiver order gives the Commanders' front office leverage over the teams at the bottom of the stack as Washington continues working to improve the bottom of its roster.

I spoke with Trent Scott after last night's loss to the Ravens.

He told me, "I wouldn't say worry is the word, it is though an urgency to get those corrected. Guys have to be real about themselves." pic.twitter.com/0YTQDZmCBv

— Scott Abraham (@Scott7news) August 29, 2026

One area where that priority could matter quickly is the offensive line. Washington has spent the entire summer trying to find stability in the middle, and the center position is clearly still not settled. Injuries have also forced the Commanders to move players around at guard and tackle, so Peters should pay close attention to every offensive lineman who becomes available around the league. The benefit of waiting until final cuts is that Washington will suddenly have access to players who weren't available when some of these problems first surfaced during camp.

That same logic applies to every position near the bottom of the roster. Peters has spent the last two years aggressively turning over the back end of Washington's depth chart, and there is no reason to believe that process will stop Sunday evening. Any successful waiver claim means the Commanders will have to create a corresponding roster spot, so even players who survive the first round of cuts are not necessarily safe once Monday arrives.

That is why the term "initial 53-man roster" matters. Washington will spend Sunday deciding which of its own players deserve to stay, then immediately compare the bottom of that group against hundreds of players released by the other 31 teams. With the seventh waiver priority, Peters has one of the better opportunities in the league to make an immediate upgrade if another team lets go of somebody Washington values.

Boogie Basham's Brief Commanders Stay Comes to an End

One player who will not be part of that initial roster is Carlos "Boogie" Basham, whom Washington released Saturday only days after signing him. The Commanders brought in the former Buffalo Bills second-round pick Tuesday after working him out with seven other players, then gave him one final opportunity to make an impression against Baltimore.

The entire process lasted less than a week. Washington went from working Basham out, signing him, evaluating him in the preseason finale, and releasing him before the final cut deadline. It is another reminder of how fluid the bottom of this roster remains, and with the Commanders holding the No. 7 waiver priority, the movement probably will not end when Washington officially gets down to 53.

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