The Washington Commanders have a lot of hard work ahead this offseason. And head coach Dan Quinn may turn to some familiar faces in his quest to get the franchise back on track.
Quinn is a loyal man. He's held in the highest regard around the league and deeply respected by almost every player who's worked with him. The Commanders are under pressure to make the strides needed next time around, and even though they need to get younger across the roster, tapping into the coach's strong connections wouldn't be the worst idea.
Washington's players went to bat for Quinn almost constantly during a campaign that started with Super Bowl dreams and ended with a 5-12 record. He never lost the locker room, which is why his job status was never in question. But if the same trend continues during the 2026 campaign, that won't be the case this time next year.
The urgency has been raised exponentially. Quinn parted ways with both coordinators, so there are no real scapegoats left. How the Commanders approach the next few weeks and months will be crucial. Anything less than a home-run offseason comes with severe consequences attached.
With this in mind, here are five intriguing free agents who could reunite with Quinn on the Commanders in 2026.
Free agents who could reunite with Commanders head coach Dan Quinn in 2026
Commanders could sign Jalen Tolbert
There is uncertainty in the Washington Commanders' wide receiver room heading into the offseason. Only Terry McLaurin, Luke McCaffrey, and Jaylin Lane are under contract next season. Only Deebo Samuel Sr. and Treylon Burks look like realistic extension candidates, and general manager Adam Peters may not want to pay up for the former.
More reinforcements are coming, especially with David Blough's promotion to replace Kliff Kingsbury as offensive coordinator. There is now a shared vision for taking the offense forward and making things easier for quarterback Jayden Daniels. Adding more playmaking and explosiveness would be beneficial.
Jalen Tolbert is a curious case. The wideout looked set for a profitable career with the Dallas Cowboys after his mini-breakout campaign in 2024. But when Washington's bitter NFC East rival traded for George Pickens, the 2022 third-round pick out of South Alabama was used almost as a decoy from 51 percent of the team's offensive snaps in 13 games — eight of which he started.
Tolbert is probably looking forward to getting a fresh start elsewhere this offseason. He's got the physical skills to contribute, and Quinn will know a lot about the player after spending two years with him in Dallas.