Previewing Washington Commanders 2025 Season

Last season was surreal, but now the Commanders have an opportunity that many in the fanbase never felt like they'd see for a long time. A deep playoff run was incredible that it has many in supporters group seeing the team building upon and developing a Super Bowl champion. The Commanders has an incredible base to build upon and they did all they could to make them better for 2025. Head Coach Dan Quinn and General Manager Adam Peters have built a winning culture, let's hope the results pay off.

2025 Schedule

Game 1: vs New York Giants

Game 2: at Green Bay

Game 3: vs Las Vegas

Game 4: at Atlanta

Game 5: at Los Angeles Chargers

Game 6: vs Chicago Bears

Game 7: at Dallas

Game 8: at Kansas City

Game 9: vs Seattle

Game 10: vs Detroit

Game 11: at Miami

Game 12: vs Denver

Game 13: at Minnesota

Game 14: at New York Giants

Game 15: vs Philadelphia

Game 16: vs Dallas

Game 17: at Philadelphia

This is clearly a much more difficult schedule than 2024 as it's the eighth toughest in the league. Green Bay, LA Chargers, Chicago, Kansas City, Seattle, Detroit, Denver, Minnesota, and Philadelphia are playoff contenders and Las Vegas and Atlanta have a lot of promise, plus Miami have an explosive offense. That's 13 games on the schedule that will make the Commanders chances to make the postseason a lot harder than both the team and the fans would like. They are a candidate for regression, but not in the sense you might think as it will purely be because the record could be worse than 2024, but this will be a better team than the previous campaign.

Key Additions

WR Deebo Samuel

OL Laremy Tunsil

DL Deatrich Wise

DL Jacob Martin

LB Von Miller

DL Javon Kinlaw

DL Eddie Goldman

CB Jonathan Jones

S Will Harris

Samuel adds a different intrigue to this offense as he certainly complements McLaurin, but he makes the run game more dynamic with his speed and another deep threat in the pass. It will be interesting to see how the Commanders utilize him as he can be used in many different ways. Tunsil makes this offensive line so much better that it should give Jayden Daniels some breathing room. Martin and Wise just give some depth, but Kinlaw and Goldman should be more of impact players on the defensive line. Jones and Harris also give depth in the defensive backs, but more freedom to move around in defending the pass. Miller used to be one of the most feared pass rushers in the game, but like Bobby Wagner, still has some game left him and having another grizzled veteran on defense should help a lot.

Key Losses

DL Jonathan Allen

RB Brian Robinson

WR Dyami Brown

OL Cornelius Lucas

DL Clelin Ferrell

DL Dante Fowler

S Jeremy Chinn

Allen was an incredible pass rusher for the Commanders, but he was getting too expensive to keep. Robinson was a very good running back, but with some of the moves that were made during the offseason, it was hard to see where he fit into the scheme. Brown was a speedy receiver who had some clutch moments last year, but he was about to get paid and nowhere near the affordability to bring him back. Lucas, Ferrell, and Fowler all provided veteran depth, but the team was looking to get younger and better. Chinn will be a hard one to replace as he hits hard, but Harris should be able to fill the void.

2025 Draft

Pick Number One: OT Josh Conerly

Pick Number Two: CB Trey Amos

Pick Number Four: WR Jaylin Lane

Pick Number Five: LB Kain Medrano

Pick Number Six: RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt

Conerly was drafted to help make the offensive line better and he was one of the better offensive line prospects in the draft, but how he will be used this season will be intriguing and the possibilities are fun. Amos had a strong showing for Ole Miss as he was one of their key defensive backs in a very competitive SEC. Lane is essentially Brown's replacement and a like for like one too. Medrano should help beef up the depth in the linebackers corps. Croskey-Merritt might be a steal as he has shown flashes why he could be a very successful NFL running back, plus he made Robinson expendable.

Is Jayden Daniels For Real?

Look, for a lot of Commanders fans they see a lot of similarities to Robert Griffin III, but this is actually different. Daniels arguably had the best rookie quarterback season according to ProFootballFocus, but just watching him play makes one know right away that he is the real deal. His vision of the field, decision making, running ability, awareness, and a strong arm makes Daniels an ideal quarterback and more dynamic. There is just something special about him.

Can The Offense Keep It Up?

Here's a stat that is mind boggling: the 2024 Commanders were the best team in modern NFL history when converting on fourth down (20-23). That wasn't the main reason why their offense was so successful, but it certainly helped as it would wear down the opposing defenses. Now their offense, at least on paper, looks a lot more explosive. Samuel should be able to be used in so many different ways, the offensive line looks like a brickhouse, Terry McLaurin and the other wide receivers should make this pass deeper, and the four running backs will use their combination of speed and catching abilities to give opposing defenses headaches. Even Zach Ertz, John Bates, and Ben Sinnott at tight end will be hard to oppose with Ertz being a veteran and strong pass option for Daniels, Bates being an exceptional blocker, and Sinnott being another option to play when needed like lining up as a fullback. The team got better even with trading Robinson and that's a crazy thought. So yeah, this offense should not only be able to keep it up but be even better.

Has The Defense Improved?

The one flaw the Commander had in 2024 was a subpar defense. Yes, it did get better as the season went along and even came up clutch in the playoffs, but purely by the numbers, the unit wasn't very good. However, it's hard for them to be worse in 2025, especially with the additions that were made. Amos should force Mike Sainristil to play his more natural position in the secondary. Outside of Daron Payne, the defensive line doesn't have all that much great talent, as the team will be banking on rotation and depth. Marshon Lattimore looks healthy and having both Harris and Jones join him, Amos, Quan Martin, Jeremy Reaves, Noah Igbinoghene, and Sainristil in the back makes them look like a strong unit. The linebackers though look tough as nails as Wagner, Miller, and Frankie Luvu are all great. So, the defense is definitely better, but without another significant pass rusher, there are still questions and it could hold them back from making a run at the Super Bowl.

Keep Improving The Team When You Can

This sounds easier said than done, but it's the truth. This will not be the same team come the playoffs and there will be a trade deadline as well to improve upon some of the flaws on the roster. The Commanders will more than likely make a trade for a dynamic pass rusher during the deadline (at a significant cost), but it's to be determined where else needs to be addressed especially if they want to go deep again in the postseason.

Season Outlook

The Commanders will make the playoffs, but in what capacity is the question. A wild card berth is a strong possibility considering how good the Eagles roster is, but the team will definitely make it a battle for division supremacy and who knows, they could surprise everyone and topple Philadelphia.