When the 2025 regular-season ended, the Washington Commanders had 84 players under contract. Sixteen were signed to reserve/futures contracts. Another 15 were designated as being injured. And 53 were on the active roster.
As Adam Peters and his staff begin gearing up for free agency and the draft, how many of those are locks to be on the roster next season?
By my count — and I’m being generous — there are 21. That’s one-quarter of the roster, which means as many as three-quarters of the current Commanders' roster could be elsewhere.
Realistically, Peters is not getting rid of three-quarters of the roster he assembled over his two years in Washington. But it could get brutal.
One of the first things he did when arriving in town in early 2024 was release a couple of popular veterans, Charles Leno Jr. and Logan Thomas. By the time the 2024 season kicked off, he had turned over more than half the team’s roster. He may be about to do it again.
Commanders GM Adam Peters must be ruthless with his latest roster overhaul
I have eight defensive players and 13 offensive players as locks for next season. On offense, that includes an entire projected starting offensive line, tandems at tight end and running back, and of course, a quarterback. It also has Terry McLaurin and a couple of wide receivers.
With only eight defenders, I don’t even have a complete starting unit. I am missing a second defensive end, and the only safety I am keeping is Jeremy Reaves.
There are a few players Peters would probably like to keep — Treylon Burks, Jacob Martin, and Chris Paul — but they are going to be unrestricted free agents. They cannot be considered locks.
Of the players who could be gone, there are the big-contract, big-name types like Marshon Lattimore, who almost certainly will be released. There are fan favorite veterans like Bobby Wagner and Deebo Samuel, both of whom are free agents. And there are mercenaries like Von Miller and Preston Smith who were here for a cup of coffee.
Some players made sense in 2025 but don’t really in 2026, at least not at the prices they are likely to command. Marcus Mariota was a very good backup for Jayden Daniels, and Washington needs to find someone for that role. The Commanders could go 5-12 with a backup quarterback half as expensive.
What about Tress Way? The longest-tenured Commanders is still very good, but does it make sense to look for a younger, cheaper punter this year?
Veterans like Noah Brown and Deatrich Wise Jr. may still have tread on the tire, but neither has been healthy during their time in Washington. Both play positions of need, but neither is a good bet to return.
Cutting ties with those veterans is commonplace in the NFL. Given the massive roster overhaul of 2024, there really aren’t many who have been in town long enough to develop a sentimental attachment. Jonathan Jones is a good player who worked hard in Washington, but there is a good chance that he's not around next season.
The bigger trauma will come with the younger players. It’s easy to imagine Peters releasing a young starter like Quan Martin after a poor season. He was a holdover from the previous regime. But how ruthless will the front-office leader be with the players he drafted?
I have Ben Sinnott and Johnny Newton as locks, but are they really? There is no upside to cutting them, but less-touted youngsters like Javontae Jean-Baptiste and Kain Medrano will have to fight hard to earn roster spots in 2026.
Just because he drafted both, Peters won't hesitate to cut them if a better option becomes available.
Dan Quinn has already begun culling his coaching staff, parting ways with both primary coordinators, including his friend Joe Whitt Jr. There may be more lower-tier coaching changes to come.
There will definitely be roster changes as well. That’s what a 5-12 season does to a franchise. It puts the entire roster — or in this case, 75 percent of that roster — on notice.