The Washington Commanders have high hopes to bounce back from the abysmal five-win campaign they endured in 2025, but they're going to need a lot of things to go right. And one of the most important ingredients of a successful season is going to be avoiding the injury bug.
However, they seem to be already playing from behind in this area.
Last year, star quarterback Jayden Daniels played in only seven games. Top wide receiver Terry McLaurin played in 10, only three of which overlapped. When you look at what went wrong for Washington last year, the single biggest reason boils down to the unavailability of the team's two most important players.
The injuries were a problem on defense as well. Edge rusher Dorance Armstrong Jr., who was playing at a Pro Bowl level, tore his ACL in Week 7 against the Dallas Cowboys, his former team. Then in Week 10 against the Detroit Lions, rookie cornerback Trey Amos fractured his fibula.
And as training camp gets set to begin, neither of them is yet ready to return to the field.
Commanders are starting off 2026 with ground to make up on the injury front
Both Amos and Armstrong, as well as fellow defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr., were placed on the Physically Unable to Perform list to begin Commanders' training camp. Where the former is concerned, this is especially disappointing.
Expectations have been high for a Year 2 breakout, and Amos will now need to play catch-up once he is cleared to practice.
For Armstrong, it was already expected that he would be playing a less featured role in Daronte Jones' defense.
Odafe Oweh and K'Lavon Chaisson were both added as edge rushers, who will be used as outside linebackers in the new 3-4 scheme. That bumps the former Kansas Jayhawk down the depth chart, but the Commanders are hoping to see him contribute in a major way nonetheless.
Looking at the bigger picture, it's unnerving to see these setbacks ahead of a season in which Washington will need all hands on deck. Both Amos and Armstrong could still very well be ready for Week 1 or even by the time preseason begins, but they'll have to play their way back into condition after missing valuable reps.
The Commanders can't afford to be haunted by injuries yet again in 2026, especially to such crucial pieces. Head coach Dan Quinn and his staff had better hope that these two issues are merely precautionary and that once the calendar turns to September, they'll be good to go.
Add us as a preferred source on Google