Limited Draft Capital Forces Commanders to Be Aggressive in Free Agency

The Washington Commanders are expected to be very aggressive this offseason.

With clear needs on their defensive edge, something acknowledged by Commanders general manager Adam Peters at his end-of-season press conference, that is viewed as the starting point, but not the only area needing to be addressed by a long shot.

I have at least nine positions on the Washington roster that could see significant changes from the 2025 version to 2026. NFL insider Ian Rapoport also sees an offseason of big moves coming as Peters looks to reload his roster for another run at the postseason this coming season.

The cost of going all-in

“They're coming off a really disappointing season. A lot of the players who used to build two years ago when they made the run to the NFC title game have, no offense to them, gotten a little older. …It's time to maybe turn the page,” says Rapoport.

Because of that fact, Rapaport continued by saying, “I wonder how active an off-season they have. Adam Peters has been aggressive. He has made trades, made a couple of big ones last off-season. It is an extremely important year for Washington. I wouldn't be surprised if there were some fireworks here, just knowing how important it's how much space they have, and the window they have with a good young quarterback. The time to spend is now.”

"The time to spend is now"

Peters spent last season trading draft capital from his 2025 and 2026 stock for left tackle Laremy Tunsil and receiver Deebo Samuel.

Tunsil is expected to get a new contract this offseason, and Samuel’s reworked contract voided on Friday, locking in $12.4 million of dead cap in 2026, making it less likely he returns next season.

The good news is that, even with that dead cap hit, the Commanders are among the teams with the most money to spend on re-signing key players and bringing in new free agents where they see fit.

Among the questions not yet answered in the public arena are the statuses of players like linebacker Bobby Wagner, one of those Rapoport referenced who helped get Washington to the NFC Championship Game in 2024, but is now two years older and not getting any younger.

Navigating a draft capital shortage

Contributing to the decisions Peters will make this offseason is the fact that he has just two picks in the first four rounds of this year's draft, thanks to the trade for Tunsil. It’s certainly possible the general manager will look to turn the No. 7 overall pick into two picks to try and recoup some of those selections, but doing so would mean passing up on a top 10 player entering the league, and that’s a big sacrifice to make without a solid plan to make sure such a move is justified.

Those reasons, and so many more we can’t get into in just one story, are why there is no real offseason in the NFL, and while we sit speculating on what might be coming, Peters and his staff are hard at work figuring out their plan of action, alongside head coach Dan Quinn and new coordinators David Blough and Daronte Jones.

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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