Hogs Haven
The Washington Commanders are in a good spot heading into 2025
The Washington Commanders finished their first season under the Josh Harris-Adam Peters-Dan Quinn-Jayden Daniels era with a 12-5 record and a trip to the NFC Championship game. That wasn’t good enough, and they’re now building on that early success to push for a Super Bowl appearance, and victory. Their season ended with a loss against the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, and they’ve been making moves to prevent that from happening again.
Adam Peters has made protecting and benefiting Jayden Daniels a priority this offseason after the No. 2 overall pick won the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award. He traded for Laremy Tunsil and drafted Oregon tackle Josh Conerly Jr. in the first round, disregarding trade offers for the No. 29 overall pick. They’ve also been adding to the defense through free agency, trades, and the draft. The team continues to purge the majority of Ron Rivera’s roster, as they continue to transform back into a respectable NFL franchise.
The Washington Commanders’ Super Bowl odds are tied for 7th-best with the Cincinnati Bengals. They only trail the Eagles, Lions, and Rams in the NFC, and are expected to make another playoff run this year. Almost every analyst has them as a Top 10 team heading into Year 2, where will that lead them when the real games start?
High: 6
Low: 12
Average: 7
Post-free agency ranking: 6
Most improved position: Offensive line
Though other areas might be improved, the line has definitely gotten better. Washington traded for five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil and drafted tackle Josh Conerly Jr. in the first round. Those moves allow it to move around 2024 third-round pick Brandon Coleman, who started 15 games — including all three in the postseason. It’s possible Coleman ends up at guard, giving Washington a talented front once right guard Sam Cosmi returns from a torn ACL. Washington was dead set on protecting its greatest asset, quarterback Jayden Daniels, while also boosting the run game. — John Keim
I’ll understand if you want to complain about the lack of an edge rusher in this year’s draft haul, but that just seemed to be the way the picks went. I really liked the Commanders’ overall approach, and let‘s not forget how few resources they entered the weekend with. Two of their picks were spent to land Laremy Tunsil and Deebo Samuel, so if your draft graders aren’t folding in that value, please gently swat their wrists for me. Josh Conerly Jr. was just OK value for me in Round 1, but Trey Amos was a strong value in the second, so that more than evened out...
