There weren't many teams who had a busier offseason than the Washington Commanders, who overhauled their aging roster with well over a dozen new signings expected to serve featured roles. And one price tag was not like the others.
Odafe Oweh is carrying a heavy burden after general manager Adam Peters signed him to a four-year, $96 million deal with a $26 million signing bonus and $68 million guaranteed. It's a lot of money for a player who has largely been a rotational backup throughout his five NFL campaigns. But there's reason to believe he could give the Commanders exactly what they need.
And that something is speed. Lots, and lots, and lots of speed.
Odafe Oweh is turning heads at training camp in exactly the way the Commanders need him to
According to ESPN insider John Keim, Oweh's quickness has been easy to notice through the first week of training camp. He has reportedly generated multiple sack opportunities, something Washington is going to need to do a much better job of in 2026.
The Commanders just didn't make plays on defense last year. They only turned their opponents over 10 times, which ranked ahead of only the lowly interception-less New York Jets. Their 42 team sacks ranked slightly above league average, but they never seemed to come in defining situations.
Enter new coordinator Daronte Jones, who replaces Joe Whitt Jr. and will work with a group that's significantly younger and faster.
Bobby Wagner, Von Miller, and Jacob Martin, who are all over the age of 30, are gone. Five of the team's projected starting front seven in the new 3-4 base unit — Oweh, K'Lavon Chaisson, Leo Chenal, Tim Settle Jr., and No. 7 overall pick Sonny Styles — are fresh faces, including both edge rushers and interior linebackers.
Styles will be the most important player on the Commanders' defense in the long run, but it's the former Baltimore Ravens and Los Angeles Chargers pass-rusher who needs to set the tone in the here and now.
Specifically, he needs to get after the quarterback with burst and efficiency. Oweh has 17.5 sacks in the past two seasons despite his limited snaps, and must find a way to build on that as Washington's top edge defender.
Oweh was brought to Washington with high expectations, and all is going well thus far. Commanders fans can only hope it's a sign of big things to come in the fall.
Because if it is, Oweh has the scope to completely transform Washington's defensive unit for the better.
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