Nothing much went right for the Washington Commanders in 2025. There were a few bright spots, but nothing more. General manager Adam Peters has another busy offseason ahead, and the pressure is on to put the correct pieces in place.
Some of Washington's big gambles last year paid off. Others failed to yield the desired results. And in the case of one free-agent signing that looked like a substantial overpay at the time, it was a complete disaster.
There were eyebrows raised around the league when the Commanders gave defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw a three-year, $45 million contract with $30 million guaranteed. The acquisition was criticized and mocked in equal measure. Even so, Peters was confident some untapped potential remained.
NFL analyst said what fans already knew about Commanders' Javon Kinlaw gamble
Based on the first season in Washington, that was a grave error of judgment. Something that provoked Bradley Locker of Pro Football Focus to inevitably proclaim Kinlaw as the worst signing from the Commanders' 2025 offseason. And in all honesty, few would disagree.
"The Commanders got aggressive in an effort to boost their defensive line, giving [Javon] Kinlaw a three-year, $45 million contract. However, the early results of the agreement seem to be playing out as some surmised. Kinlaw finished the year with a 46.8 overall PFF grade, including a 47.6 PFF run-defense mark and a 9.4% pass-rush win rate. In turn, interior defensive line is still an area of weakness for Washington."Bradley Locker
Kinlaw failed to register a single sack. He mustered just five pressures and three quarterback hits. The former South Carolina standout missed 14 percent of his tackles, and his 46.8 overall grade from Pro Football Focus ranked 112th out of 134 qualifying interior defensive linemen.
The move to bring Kinlaw on board was a complete bust. His big talk before games and lack of consistency when it came to the crunch became an ongoing frustration. His only genuine aggression seemed to come after the whistle to the team's detriment. And the worst part? The Commanders are seemingly stuck with him in 2026.
His contract, which counts $16.2 million against the cap next season, has no real out until 2027. There is a chance that the Commanders eat a significant amount of dead cap to remove him from the equation, but Peters needs every available cent to strengthen the squad. That all but assures that Kinlaw will be around. Still, his status is more precarious than ever.
The time for talk is over. Kinlaw needs to buckle down and start showing something. Everyone can preach — not everyone can do. And unless the 2020 first-round pick starts performing up to his pay grade, the Commanders need to find someone who can.
Hopefully, the introduction of accomplished defensive line coach Eric Henderson will light a fire under Kinlaw. Anything less, and this will be his final campaign in Washington.