The Washington Commanders have an anxious wait before they go on the clock at No. 7 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft. General manager Adam Peters will have a list of possibilities in mind, but the landscape is already changing drastically.
Another development around the league is enough to cast doubt on the Commanders' first-round plans. It all centers around yet another AFC trade that could have a ripple effect on draft night, all the way to Washington.
According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the Houston Texans have agreed to trade right tackle Tytus Howard to the Cleveland Browns for a fifth-round selection. This is the second time in as many offseasons that the AFC South club has shipped off a starting edge protector after the Commanders secured a blockbuster deal for Laremy Tunsil last spring.
Commanders' draft landscape may have changed after Browns' tackle need diminishes
The Browns were widely expected to be on the lookout for a new offensive tackle with the No. 6 pick. Every starting lineman in Cleveland is set to enter free agency, so adding a proven performer via trade could be a shrewd move. More is required, but the chances of targeting someone like Spencer Fano with their first pick are now a lot slimmer.
That could be bad news for the Commanders. The Las Vegas Raiders are set to take quarterback Fernando Mendoza at No. 1 overall, but all bets are off aside from that. The Browns taking a tackle would have been the best-case scenario for Peters' quest to land a blue-chip defensive prospect, or even Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love. Howard's arrival in Cleveland potentially changes everything.
The Browns need dynamic playmakers on offense. They need a genuine game-wrecker at the defensive second level. This transaction puts them in play for edge rusher David Bailey, Love, wide receiver Carnell Tate, or maybe even Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles, who soared up the draft board with a historic showcase of athletic prowess at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Styles has been widely projected to the Commanders at No. 7. He's precisely what new defensive coordinator Daronte Jones is looking for, especially if Bobby Wagner doesn't get a new deal. But if the Browns see him as the missing piece of their defensive puzzle, there is nothing Washington can do about it.
Unless the Browns are considering another tackle for the blind side, the Commanders and their fans should be extremely concerned about this development. And if Styles, Bailey, Arvell Reese, Love, and Rueben Bain Jr. are all gone, it could be Ohio State safety Caleb Downs.
That's not a bad consolation prize by any stretch. At the same time, there are enormous unknowns attached.