The Washington Commanders finished an underwhelming 5-12 last season, largely off the back of an abysmal defense marred by an injury epidemic.
The unit finished dead last in opponent yards allowed, bottom five in pass yards allowed, and second to last in rushing defense.
Needless to say, changes were vital. General manager Adam Peters had the task of using a wealth of cap space to diagnose and fix the issue, showing a clear sense of urgency in the front office.
Significant Pickups on the Commanders’ Defensive Line
The first major splash for the Commanders in free agency was the signing of edge rusher Odafe Oweh to a four-year, $100 million contract.
It’s certainly a higher price tag than Oweh expected to fetch on the open market, but it’s clear around the league that the market for edge rushers is higher than previously thought.
Oweh, a former first-round pick in 2021, was dealt to the Los Angeles Chargers midseason in 2025. With LA, he put up the best production of his career. Oweh tallied seven and a half sacks in the regular season, to pair with a monster playoff debut that saw him racking up three sacks and two forced fumbles.
A speed rusher, the former Nittany Lion has used his freakish athleticism to propel himself into a lucrative NFL career, his ticket to the first round despite recording no sacks in his final year at Penn State. It’s a step towards fixing last season’s painfully slow, aging unit.
Washington and defensive tackle Tim Settle came to terms on a reunion to bolster the interior of the defensive line. A fifth-round pick in 2018, Settle will become one of the few players to have been a member of the Redskins, Football Team, and Commanders.
Settle has carved out a nice career as a former fifth-rounder. He has solidified himself as a legitimate starter on the interior defensive line. Washington hopes he can plug some of the gaping holes in last year’s unit.
Former first-round picks are the name of the game for Adam Peters, as the Commanders brought in another edge rusher, K’Lavon Chaisson, to a one-year $12 million deal. Chaisson racked up 10.5 sacks (including playoffs) for the Patriots in his best season as a pro last season.
The 2020 first-round pick hopes to bring some real pass-rushing juice that the Commanders desperately need. It’s reminiscent of when the Commanders signed Dante Fowler, another former Jaguars first-round selection, to a one-year prove-it deal.
One Pivotal Linebacker Addition
Washington only made one prominent move at the linebacker position, but it was a major one.
The Commanders signed two-time NFL champion linebacker Leo Chenal to a very team-friendly three-year, $24.75m deal. Chenal is another athletic outlier. He earned an athletic prospect score of 98 from the NFL after his combine performance in 2022—a big change from Bobby Wagner patrolling over the middle in his age-35 season.
Chenal is already an excellent plug-and-play run defender, using his athleticism and instincts to find and explode through the right holes and wrap up. His athletic tools will help his growth in the pass game, a role he didn’t play as much in Kansas City.
The linebacker market is one of the weakest in the league. Adam Peters made sure to buy low on a young and ascending talent.
Much-Needed Secondary Depth
Washington added cornerback Amik Robertson early in the tampering period. This signing is needed to add depth to a lean group. Robertson ranked 109th out of 114th eligible cornerbacks in 2025, per PFF.
But the bigger signing for the Washington Commanders in the secondary was bringing in the hometown safety Nick Cross. He signed a modest two-year, $14 million deal. Cross is another electric athlete who has proven himself as an excellent run defender.
He has struggled in the passing game in the past. However, as young and athletic as he is, there is definitely upside to capitalize on.
Youth And Speed
On any given Sunday in 2025, one could find the Washington Commanders on television getting torched, toasted, cooked, or any other synonym of run straight past on defense. An athletic youth revival proved the only cure to Washington’s chronic issues.
But now it seems Adam Peters has diagnosed the issues and begun treating them in free agency.
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