On Feb. 2, 2022, the Washington Football Team became the Washington Commanders, ending its 18-month nickname-free tenure.
Four and a half years on, the name itself is close to the only thing that has not changed. Of the 53 players on Washington’s initial roster for the 2026 season, only seven were part of the franchise when the new name was announced.
The Seven Who Were There
Punter Tress Way is the team’s longest-serving player, now in his 13th season, and he has said 2026 will be his last. Daron Payne, a first-round pick in 2018, is the longest-serving defender. Safety Jeremy Reaves joined the same year and Terry McLaurin followed in 2019. All four arrived when the team was still called the Redskins. Dyanmi Brown,
The remaining three, guard Sam Cosmi, wide receiver Dyami Brown, and tight end John Bates, were drafted in 2021 under the interim Washington Football Team banner.
Safety Percy Butler, taken in the fourth round in 2022, is the longest-serving player the team actually acquired as the Commanders.
Three Regimes in Four Years
Ron Rivera coached the first two Commanders seasons under Dan Snyder and won 12 games across them, going 8-8-1 in 2022 and 4-13 in 2023. Snyder then sold to a group led by Josh Harris for $6.05 billion, a sale NFL owners approved on July 20, 2023.
Adam Peters arrived as general manager in January 2024 and hired Dan Quinn as head coach weeks later. Their first pick together, Jayden Daniels at No. 2 overall, threw for 3,568 yards and ran for 891 as a rookie, won Offensive Rookie of the Year and dragged Washington from 4-13 to 12-5 and the NFC Championship Game.
The 2025 Collapse Triggered Another Clear-Out
That progress did not hold. Daniels made only seven starts in 2025 with a knee sprain and a dislocated elbow; McLaurin managed 582 yards in 10 appearances after signing a three-year, $96 million extension in August 2025; and Washington finished 5-12.
Peters answered by rebuilding the defense rather than the quarterback room. Edge rusher Odafe Oweh signed a four-year, $96 million deal in March, and linebacker Leo Chenal arrived from Kansas City in the same window. Defensive tackle Tim Settle came back four years after leaving in free agency, and Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles went No. 7 in the draft.
The offense changed too. Chig Okonkwo joined at tight end for three years and $27 million, Stefon Diggs signed a one-year deal in August, and David Blough replaced Kliff Kingsbury as offensive coordinator. Marshon Lattimore was released in March, Bobby Wagner and Von Miller left, and Deebo Samuel went back to San Francisco after one season.
Commanders Struggling Early in 2026
Washington has already dropped its first two games and has undefeated Seattle next week, so the NFL odds have just one game left to read before Washington heads to London to take on the Colts in Week 4.
Things only got worse during Sunday’s game against the Cowboys, where Jayden Daniels suffered a dislocated elbow during the second quarter.
Marcus Mariota figures to take over as the starting QB, but things are already looking bleak for a team that flipped on the wrong side of the 180 a season ago.
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