The Washington Commanders had been lucking out in the injury department last year and at the start of 2025. That all changed in a hurry after their loss to the Green Bay Packers.
On offense, running back Austin Ekeler tore his Achilles, and star quarterback Jayden Daniels is dealing with a knee sprain. On defense, starting defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr., who was one of the Commanders' key free agent signings, suffered a season-ending quad tear.
Replacing Wise will be a challenge for the Commanders. There's no clear candidate in the fold to take over the starting duties. But the team does have several options, including a surprising new addition.
Commanders could run with a committee approach to replace Deatrich Wise Jr. initially
After Wise went down, the Commanders were left with 2024 seventh-round pick Javontae Jean-Baptiste and veteran journeyman Jacob Martin as their only additional rostered players at his position. But it didn't take long for that to change. Washington signed Jalyn Holmes from the practice squad and acquired a familiar face in veteran Preston Smith.
Smith, a 2015 second-round pick by Washington, had four productive seasons with the organization in which he accumulated 24.5 sacks. He then signed with the Packers, where he enjoyed a career-best 12-sack campaign in 2019 and remained a key contributor until being traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers before last year's deadline.
It's hard to say how much of an impact Smith can make in Washington at this stage of his career, while having to learn a new playbook on the fly. He might not start in Week 3 on such short notice, which would leave either Holmes or Jean-Baptiste to get the nod.
The Commanders also have the option of shuffling additional pieces around. Martin could slot over from the opposite side of the line, where he's been backing up Dorance Armstrong Jr. Johnny Newton and Javon Kinlaw could be candidates to see some more snaps on the edge as well.
It will be interesting to see how Washington manages the hole left by Wise. It's likely to be a group effort between Smith, Martin, Holmes, Jean-Baptiste, and potentially others against the Las Vegas Raiders at Northwest Stadium. Dan Quinn will have a plan in place, and there is confidence that his scheme can compensate for some personnel deficiencies.
Ideally, the Commanders will want someone to lock up the position on a more stable basis eventually, and it's anyone's guess who that will be.
The opportunity is there. Somebody will need to make the most of it.