The Commanders believe themselves to be a top-flight team in the NFC East. Their resource expenditures disagree with that sentiment. In a series of Substack articles looking at resource allocation in the NFL I am surfacing which teams are putting real commitments into their rosters, and which teams are skimping.
This analysis goes beyond salary cap hits and room. It looks at the actual resources that make up NFL rosters: cash and draft picks. The cash is self-explanatory. Because of salary cap mechanics, tricks, and gymnastics the cap itself can be manipulated. It leads to some teams spending well over the cap in real cash, while other teams take a cheaper approach.
The draft pick valuations are a proprietary model I developed to help with exercises just like this. It puts draft capital on an even playing field with free-agent expenditures to give fans and NFL teams alike a real look at who is spending what to win in the NFL.
As far as the Commanders and general manager Adam Peters go, they have some ground to make up. This matches overall sentiment surrounding the Commanders' offseason.
Commanders trail rest of NFC East in resource spending
While the Cowboys, Eagles and Giants are within a small band between $486 and $500 million, the Commanders trail the group at $463.7 million. Now if you think that's a small difference, consider this: the difference between the Commanders and 3rd-place Eagles is more than the following players make on an annual basis: Saquon Barkley, Davante Adams, George Kittle, Aaron Brewer, Leonard Williams and Budda Baker.
Expand that difference to division-leading Giants and the names that represent that difference turn into Nick Bosa, CeeDee Lamb, Derek Stingley Jr. and Chris Jones.
The Commanders haven't had access to all of those players in recent years, but the point is that they are trailing the rest of the NFC East in spending by roughly one premier player. That's not to say Washington isn't spending cash. Over the Cap has them as the 15th-highest spending team in the NFL in cash. But 15th in the NFL is still only good for last in the division.
The Jayden Daniels factor
Investment isn't the only factor when determining team quality. The return on investment is the most important. And when a team can acquire an asset with an outsized return it can shift the scales within the division. Think of Puka Nacua with the Rams. For the low price of a fifth round pick Los Angeles has one of the best players at a premium position.
And this is where the Commanders have a decided advantage. Their quarterback investment this year is just under $40 million. That represents the cash they are paying all of their quarterbacks plus the annualized value of the draft pick used on players still playing on their rookie deals. And Jayden Daniels, when healthy, is better than your average $40 million quarterback.
If he can return to his rookie form in 2026, Daniels can make up a large portion of that spending shortage.
Lack of spending on playmakers
It seems almost as if general manager Adam Peters is counting on Daniels to make up for a lack of investment in other areas of the team. Namely offensive playmaker. Between running back, receiver and tight end the Commanders have $74.5 million in cash and draft capital dedicated to their playmakers. Compare that to the Eagles ($102.4 million), Cowboys ($99.3 million) and Giants ($94.1 million) and you see that strategically Washington is counting on Daniels to make up some difference.
Washington's big bet
Where the Commanders have outspent their divisional rivals is at linebacker. On top of mid-level veteran contracts doled out to Frankie Luvu and Leo Chenal, Washington added Sonny Styles with a top ten pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. That pick is valued at $21.3 million on its own. Add in the $24.4 million in cash they paid Styles this year and you have a linebacker room that costs over 50% more than the next closest team in the division.
It's one of only two position groups where the Commanders lead the division in resource spending (the other being tight end by a slim margin).
Linebacker is traditionally not considered a premium position that works as a force amplifier for the rest of the defense, but there have been exceptions. Notably, Fred Warner's impact on the 49ers defense over the past half-decade plus . Styles has garnered comps to Warner. And if he can be 80% of the player Warner is, it could have a similar cascading effect, amplifying both the scheme as well as the players around him.
If that doesn't happen the Commanders have an uphill climb to navigate in an increasingly tough division.
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