At the beginning of the week, were you to check the Washington Commanders’ roster on the team website, you would have no information under “age” for linebacker T.J. Maguranyanga.
Presumably, the Commanders know how old Maguranyanga is. This is not professional wrestling, where “parts unknown” and “weight unknown” used to be exotic ways of drumming up mystery.
I don’t believe in most conspiracies, but symbolism is another matter. I figured this was merely an oversight that would be corrected eventually. Or not, if Maguranyanga were to be released before anyone addressed the matter. But what happened was unexpected.
The team website did add the former Zimbabwean rugby star’s age. But they got it wrong.
Washington currently lists Maguranyanga’s age as 26 years old, and says he has six years of NFL experience after attending college at Stanford. None of that is even close.
Maguranyanga is 22 years old. He is the youngest player on the Commanders’ defense and the second youngest on the entire roster. Rookie offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr. is a bit younger.
Of course, this doesn’t matter. Maguranyanga is extremely raw and is likely headed for the practice squad if he flashes enough athleticism during the preseason. Otherwise, fans are unlikely to hear his name again.
Commanders roster is getting older with their win-now window in full effect
However, as a symbol, it says a lot.
Dan Quinn and Adam Peters are making the roster older, especially on defense. Look at the flurry of moves after the embarrassing loss to the New England Patriots in the first preseason game.
Allan George, Dominque Hampton, and Viliami Fehoku Jr. were all released. That’s three defenders, all 25 or 26 years old. A couple of weeks ago, another young defensive back, Fentrell Cypress III, was initially waived before reverting to the injured reserve list. He is 24.
In their place, the Commanders signed 27-year-old (soon to be 28) Essang Bassey, 31-year-old Duke Riley, and 32-year-old Antonio Hamilton Sr. All play defense, and their signings come on the heels of 36-year-old Von Miller’s arrival.
When Peters began reconstructing the moribund roster he inherited last year, he did so in a very balanced manner. He added a few veterans nearing the end of their careers. They were all signed to one-year deals. He reserved longer-term contracts for players just entering their prime. Players like Tyler Biadasz, Dorance Armstrong Jr., and Frankie Luvu hovered around the league average age between 26 and 27. They got the multi-year deals.
Peters also invested heavily in the draft. All eight picks and two undrafted free agents made the roster, though some began the year on injured reserve. That’s a fair amount of youth to balance out the experience.
The first sign that things were going to be different in Year 2 came early in the offseason. Peters re-signed his three oldest free agent pickups from 2024 — Zach Ertz, Bobby Wagner, and Nick Bellore. They each earned their new deals, but this was not necessarily on the cards last year.
Then he began swapping those precious draft picks for veterans, Deebo Samuel Sr. and Laremy Tunsil. Those five players have an average age of 33 years old.
The obvious explanation for this shift in strategy is Jayden Daniels.
The second-year quarterback is ahead of schedule. Daniels showed last year that he can take this team on a deep playoff run. Perhaps with a little more help, he can win a championship. So Peters adopted a win-now strategy, which made quality veterans more appealing than developmental youngsters.
This is especially true on defense. Two-thirds of the team’s 15 defensive linemen are now older than the league average. The linebacking corps leans toward the older side as well. That is not necessarily true in the defensive backfield, but after the performance against New England, even that appears to be shifting a little bit.
Washington does have several young studs on defense in Mike Sainristil and Johnny Newton. They also have other quality prospects like Trey Amos, Tyler Owens, and Javontae Jean-Baptiste.
If you’ve been a fan long enough, this might ring some bells.
When George Allen came to town back in the early 1970s, he immediately began adding veterans — especially on defense. His “future is now” philosophy did allow for a couple of young players like tackle Bill Brundige and linebacker Harold McLinton, both under 25. But even with them, the average age of the starters on defense was 30.
Those teams won a lot early on, then fell apart.
Whether this is a conscious decision on Peters' part or not doesn’t matter. He sees a chance, and he is pursuing it. It’s hard to argue with that strategy.
Is he overdoing it? Daniels will be here a long time. The general manager has to be sure he can provide a quality supporting cast for years to come. That is at the heart of the current standoff with star wide receiver Terry McLaurin.
Here’s one seemingly insignificant marker. The Commanders' top five cornerbacks look locked. A likely sixth and final spot is up for grabs. With the latest roster moves, this could come down to a battle between promising undrafted free-agent Car’lin Vigers and recently signed nine-year veteran Hamilton.
Last year, I would have given the edge to the younger player. This year, I’m not so sure.