During the 2024 NFL season, the Washington Commanders were the toast of the town. They went from four wins the previous year to 12-5 and appeared in the NFC Championship game, led by a rookie quarterback and first-year head coach and general manager.
It was supposed to be just the beginning. Instead, 21 months later, Washington is 6-16-1, with key members of the organization facing uncertain futures.
A lot of things went wrong for the Commanders. Let's discuss five big ones.
Reasons the Washington Commanders' NFC Championship run became a false dawn
Adam Peters doubled down on an unsustainable roster construction strategy
In Year 1, upon taking over general manager duties, Adam Peters wasted no time taking a roster in no-man's-land and adding key veteran contributors to step in right away.
Zach Ertz. Austin Ekeler. Bobby Wagner. Dante Fowler Jr. Jeremy Chinn. All of them made major impacts during Washington's 2024 season, but none of them were long-term pieces. Of course, nobody was expecting the Commanders to compete that season, so when they did, Peters had to double down.
He traded for cornerback Marshon Lattimore, left tackle Laremy Tunsil, and wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. He signed edge rusher Von Miller. He brought back Ertz, Ekeler, and Wagner, giving Washington the league's oldest roster by a wide margin.
And the team was old and slow.
The charm wore off with Dan Quinn
Dan Quinn is the perfect type of coach to bring into a rebuilding organization. His energy and enthusiasm lit a spark in Washington from the get-go, and the Commanders fed off the vibes all year long in 2024.
Unfortunately, as the past two years have shown, he's not the best guy to have behind the bench when you're actually expected to compete. His clock management gaffes and the team's lack of discipline have been notoriously costly, and for a defensive-minded coach, his defenses have been horrific.
Quinn has taken more heat than perhaps anybody for Washington's struggles, because what coach doesn't?
There has to be some grace for the head man because he is certainly not the only one at fault. But while Quinn was the right guy at the time, it's clear now that the Commanders' future may need someone young and fresh calling the shots.
Injuries have ravaged key Commanders for two years running
The Commanders had high hopes for a return to playoff form in 2026 after last year's disaster was attributed to a laundry list of injuries, headlined by quarterback Jayden Daniels playing in only seven games. The team then began its new campaign by losing Tunsil to a torn triceps at training camp.
Daniels has missed two games again this season with another dislocated elbow, but the biggest blow is the injury-related decline of star wide receiver Terry McLaurin. When Washington extended the fan-favorite wideout following his standoff a year ago, at least a few more Pro Bowl-level campaigns were expected.
Now, he might have played his final snap in the burgundy and gold.
Stalled development from young Commanders draft picks
In 2024, Mike Sainristil, Brandon Coleman, and Johnny Newton were all key starters as rookies in addition to Daniels. Safety Quan Martin was coming into his own in Year 2, and Luke McCaffrey and Ben Sinnott had promise.
All of them have regressed or stagnated, and the Commanders are left with few young building blocks. This year's No. 7 overall pick Sonny Styles is a stud, and third-round wideout Antonio Williams has potential, as does 2025 first-round right tackle Josh Conerly Jr.
But beyond that? Yikes.
Maybe the Commanders' 2024 team was just lucky
Let's say the uncomfortable part that nobody wanted to admit at the time, but is patently obvious now. The 2024 Commanders were a fluke.
They played a last-place schedule and won almost every close game. They beat one bad team on a Hail Mary. They beat another bad team because a walk-off two-point conversion attempt failed. They had very few injuries and their statement regular-season win came against the Philadelphia Eagles after quarterback Jalen Hurts was knocked out with a concussion.
Then in the playoffs, Washington beat a pretender Tampa Bay Buccaneers team and the Detroit Lions without half of their starting defense, before losing to the Eagles by 32.
This doesn't take away Daniels' heroics, which were phenomenal. But this wasn't a roster built to sustain that level of performance. Not even close.
And the 23 games since then have proved it.
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