The Washington Commanders enter the 2026 NFL season with strong hopes to return to a playoff-caliber level after injuries doomed them to a vastly disappointing 5-12 record last fall. The bulk of the improvement should come from the deep free agent class that Adam Peters has assembled.
Collectively, Washington's new additions should improve the team's performance with their speed and agility. Individually, the Commanders will rely on proven yet high-upside contributors such as edge rusher K'Lavon Chaisson, tight end Chig Okonkwo, and safety Nick Cross to make a difference. But one name stands out above the rest.
That would be Odafe Oweh, the $96 million man. The former Baltimore Raven and Los Angeles Charger returns to the Beltway as Peters' highest-priced signing by far, and expectations are high.
Odafe Oweh needs to be the Pro Bowl-level star the Commanders are paying up for
Oweh has been a solid player but not quite a star through his first five years in the NFL. He was traded from the Ravens to the Los Angeles Rams after five games in 2025, recording 10.5 sacks (including playoffs) while largely serving as a backup.
The Commanders are banking on Oweh to take his game to greater heights as the 2021 first-round pick enters his age-27 season.
There's no doubt he'll bring a spark to their pass-rushing unit off the edge, but he needs to be more than just a solid role player. Washington isn't paying $24 million per year for anything less than Pro Bowl-level production.
Oweh figures to be the headliner of the Commanders' edge rushers, a group that has also added K'Lavon Chaisson and still has Dorance Armstrong Jr. The former is on yet another one-year "prove it" deal after finding success in similar situations with the Las Vegas Raiders and New England Patriots. The latter was having the best season of his career before suffering a torn ACL in Week 7 against the Dallas Cowboys.
With Charles Omenihu and Joshua Josephs also on the books, it looks like a solid group. But Oweh holds the key.
Armstrong will be a bit of a mystery after his injury. Chaisson isn't considered a long-term piece, so it will fall on Oweh to step up as a leader. It's a signing that could backfire with disastrous consequences if it fails, but it could also pay massive dividends if everything goes well.
The Commanders are taking a major chance on Oweh, a player with star potential who has never been given a starring role. Now is his opportunity to take that jump, and if he does, Peters and his staff will look like geniuses.
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