Nick Wright Cites 'Old' Roster for Commanders' 'Anxious' Outlook

Following a regression to five wins, the First Things First host questions how Washington will escape its current roster predicament.

Dec 20, 2025; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) looks on from the sidelines during the final minutes of the second half against the Philadelphia Eagles at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

That feeling of anxiety you’re feeling about the Washington Commanders’ offseason isn’t without reason. According to Nick Wright of First Things First, that’s exactly what you should be feeling.

Breaking up teams like the Commanders into tiers, the Fox Sports 1 analyst broke the league up into 12 tiers, ranging from “The Champs,” which has one team in it after the Seattle Seahawks won the Super Bowl all the way down to the “Death  Spiral” tier containing the Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns, Arizona Cardinals, and New York Jets.

Defining the 'Anxious' tier

Clearly, Washington doesn’t belong in that top tier, but it also doesn’t belong in that last one either. Three teams are living in the “Anxious Offseason” tier, the Commanders along with the Philadelphia Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“And that offseason will lead to, I think, an anxious regular season,” Wright adds about the three teams in the tier.

Nov 16, 2025; Madrid, Spain; Washington Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner (54) reacts after a play against the Miami Dolphins in the fourth quarter during the 2025 NFL Madrid Game at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Age and defensive regression

The analyst continued the conversation, saying that while most of the national media will focus on the health of quarterback Jayden Daniels, he believes the bigger problem is the team’s defense.

Wright says the defense “looked old this year, and they fell far from obviously the unbelievable 2024 season for them."

Of course, even in 2024, during the Commanders’ improbable run to the NFC Championship Game, it wasn’t the defense that carried the majority of the weight as Daniels put together arguably the greatest rookie season we’ve ever seen.

With the quarterback’s health constantly in question during 2025 the defensive shortcomings got worse, and contributed to the team’s spiral down from 12 wins the year prior to just five.

Another issue Wright points out is the age of the roster. Washington had the oldest roster in the NFL in 2025.

Of course, not every team in this tier has old roster and quarterback health issues, but Wright said, "I just don't know how these teams extract themselves from where they're at right now."

The quarterback counter-argument

Others, including former NFL receiver Greg Jennings, made the argument that having the quarterback helps cover up a lot of things, so as long as he’s healthy Washington will be able to stay relevant. 

Because of that, perhaps the Commanders and even the Eagles or the Buccaneers should be in a higher tier than Wright placed them in.

The tier ahead of Washington's current position is labeled “They’re actually the same” and includes only the Cincinnati Bengals and Dallas Cowboys. That’s a level I’m fairly sure the Commanders don’t want to be in.

READ MORE: Jeremy Fowler Sees Path for Quick Turnaround in Washington

Stick with CommanderGameday and the Locked On Commanders podcast for more FREE coverage of the Washington Commanders throughout the 2025 season.

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