If the Washington Commanders are going to return to the postseason in 2026, they'll need everything that went wrong last fall to go right this time around. They'll also need their biggest offseason acquisition to justify his lofty price tag.
On offense, the solution is simple: Jayden Daniels and Terry McLaurin need to stay healthy, and new coordinator David Blough needs to maximize his personnel.
On defense, it's a bit trickier.
General manager Adam Peters has replaced the bulk of his starters on that side of the ball, making the unit significantly younger and faster. The new guys will need to be up to the challenge, and Odafe Oweh's performances can move the needle in a major way.
Commanders can't afford for Odafe Oweh to underachieve his contract
And with a $96 million contract to live up to, the Commanders are expecting nothing less.
Oweh is back inside the Beltway after the 2021 first-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens spent much of last season with the Los Angeles Chargers. And as independent team reporter Ben Standig points out, he'll be playing an entirely new role.
"A guy like Odafe Oweh... obviously they paid him a lot of money, and he's looked pretty good, but he's being asked to be the main guy, whereas with the Chargers he had Khalil Mack and some other guys. So how does that play out?"
Both with the Ravens and the Chargers, Oweh generally did not start. He has been productive as a rotational pass-rusher, with 17.5 sacks and 18 tackles for loss in the past two seasons. Nevertheless, it's a monumental gamble for the Commanders to place this much trust in him as a key piece.
Oweh and the rest of the Commanders' defense will also be adjusting to a new system under first-time coordinator Daronte Jones. The former Minnesota Vikings assistant will run a 3-4 scheme with three interior linemen up front, meaning the Penn State product will be lining up at outside linebacker.
There is plenty of room for optimism for Oweh in Washington, but there's also a lot of banking on potential without any margin for error. Paying $68 million guaranteed for a player who has started only 27 of his 79 career NFL games and was the league's No. 35-ranked defensive end last season per Pro Football Focus is a lot of money.
The Commanders already have one albatross on their hands thanks to their gross overpay for defensive lineman Javon Kinlaw last year. They'd better hope Oweh is worth every penny, because the entire defense is depending on it.
Add us as a preferred source on Google