The Washington Commanders have a clear objective to get younger and more dynamic this offseason. This need is particularly significant on the defensive side of the ball, especially given the scheme Daronte Jones plans to run.
So, when Gilberto Manzano of Sports Illustrated named the Commanders among two possible suitors for ancient defensive lineman Calais Campbell, the collective groans across the fan base were deafening.
Playing devil's advocate, there are certainly things to like about the idea. Campbell has been among the most reliable defenders in the NFL for well over a decade. At 6-foot-8 and 315 pounds, he is a physical nightmare for opposing offensive lines and quarterbacks.
Commanders should want absolutely no part of Calais Campbell in free agency
Campbell is as durable as they come. Even at his advanced age, the six-time Pro Bowler has appeared in 52 consecutive games. And you would be hard-pressed to find a former teammate or coach with a bad word to say about him.
However, coming off a disastrous season in which Adam Peters fielded a very old roster, bringing in a player — even on a one-year deal — who will be 40 years old on opening day of the 2026 campaign ought to be a non-starter.
Why would the Commanders be interested in Campbell? There are two obvious reasons.
First, he was born to play in a 3-4 defensive front. There have been indications that Jones may want to use that alignment. He has been a defensive end throughout most of his long career, but Campbell has the raw power to shift inside.
The 3-4 front tends to use larger linemen to compensate for the size disadvantage the defense may face when facing NFL offensive lines. Campbell has always been able to comfortably shift between 3 and 5-technique, which would be essential when the Commanders are in a 3-4 alignment.
More importantly, he is almost the polar opposite of Javon Kinlaw in terms of reliability and production.
Though head coach Dan Quinn has continued to rave about Kinlaw, it is hard to view him as anything more than a major free agent bust at this point. Hopefully, he will be reinvigorated under Jones, and his immense physical talent will finally be displayed on the field.
That has never been an issue for Campbell. The man shows up every day.
Compare their stats from 2025. The 39-year-old Campbell played 200 fewer snaps than the 28-year-old Kinlaw. Even so, he equaled his tackle total and had almost twice as many tackles for loss.
As a pass rusher, Campbell had 6.5 sacks — he has averaged six sacks for each of the last four seasons — to Kinlaw’s zero. Campbell had 16 quarterback hits to Kinlaw’s three.
No one is really doubting Campbell’s age-defying talent. It’s simply a question of franchise philosophy and direction.
Signing Campbell would amount to doubling down on the very strategy that failed so miserably last year. It’s important to note that the older players were not the major problem in 2025. Most of them delivered. Washington was let down by underperforming younger players and by Jayden Daniels’ unfortunate injury problems.
Still, the team desperately needs to get younger. Bringing in more veterans merely delays the inevitable. Players like Kinlaw and Johnny Newton have to grow into leadership roles, and they are unlikely to do so if Peters continues to go after older free agents.
Campbell is projected to command a one-year, $10.93 million deal. Washington has the money. But it would be far better spent on ascending players like Boye Mafe or Odafe Oweh.
Oweh is projected to earn a much bigger contract, but a player like Mafe, who could play outside linebacker in a 3-4 or defensive end in a 4-3, is likely to get a similar yearly salary to Campbell.
Last year, Peters signed aging pass-rusher Von Miller and gave him an incentive-laden deal that paid out only about half of what Campbell figures to get this year. On paper, the future Pro Football Hall of Famer had a pretty good year. On the field, he had minimal impact on a very poor defense.
Everything about Campbell’s history suggests he will still be a quality football player in 2026. Even at 40, he can still help a team. But that team should not be the Commanders.
That strategy has already been tried, and it failed. Come what may, Peters needs to trust his younger players.