The Washington Commanders have less than two weeks until they're playing meaningful regular-season football, on the road against the defending NFC East champion Philadelphia Eagles. They'll need to be as healthy as possible, and it doesn't look great.
And a big week awaits edge rusher Odafe Oweh before the Commanders give him the green light to participate.
The Commanders got some reinforcements at practice this week, most notably center Nick Allegretti. But second-year cornerback Trey Amos will start the year on injured reserve, and defensive lineman Johnny Newton is out for months. Worst of all, Washington will be without star left tackle Laremy Tunsil for perhaps the entire 2026 season.
Odafe Oweh's status for Commanders' season opener remains unclear before big week
Oweh has also missed time with a calf issue this summer. Head coach Dan Quinn revealed that he will return to practice after a few days off on Monday, but his status for Week 1 remains undetermined.
That could be a big problem.
Most of general manager Adam Peters' free-agent signings this offseason were value deals on role players who can improve the team by making it better than the sum of its parts. But the one big-money signing was Oweh, who was given a four-year, $96 million deal with a $26 million signing bonus and $68 million guaranteed.
The Commanders are placing a lot of trust in Oweh, who has only started the majority of the games in a season one time in five years. And this concern around his Week 1 status is less than ideal.
They're banking on him to be their best pass-rusher. They're banking on him to become a player who can rack up double-digit sacks and garner consideration for his first-career Pro Bowl nod.
Oweh won't be able to do any of that if he's not on the field.
Commanders need Odafe Oweh fit and firing for defensive improvements
Washington's other edge rusher addition, K'Lavon Chaisson, returned to practice on Wednesday, but Oweh remains sidelined, at least until next week. At this point, it's a real question as to whether or not he'll be ready to go for a stern test of Washington's credentials at Lincoln Financial Field.
Oweh has already put a chip on his shoulder after he tangled with Tunsil, causing the blindside enforcer's torn triceps, during a one-on-one drill at training camp. Obviously, there was no harm intended by any means, but it feels like he owes Washington fans a major season in consolation.
And he's starting it by playing catch-up in the conditioning department.
Of all the players on Washington's roster, Oweh's situation carries the highest risk of spiraling into disaster that could handcuff the team in the long run. But it's a wait-and-see situation until something is confirmed one way or the other.
If giving $15 million per year to defensive lineman Javon Kinlaw looks bad, Peters had better hope the Penn State product doesn't give him buyer's remorse.
By all indications, Oweh performed well throughout camp when he was on the field. But he needs to find his way back sooner rather than later.
Let's hope everything goes well next week.
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