2026 Washington Commanders Team Preview
Jayden Daniels injected new life into the Washington Commanders,
guiding them to a 12-5 record in 2024, their best since the 1991 squad
went 14-2. Their promising momentum came to a halt in Year 2, as a
quarterback injury derailed their season and the team stumbled to a 5-
12 mark. The offense produced 129 fewer points, the defense
surrendered 60 more, and a +94 scoring differential swung all the way
to -95.
Dan Quinn enters his third season at the helm with a 17 -17 record in
Washington. Before joining the Commanders, Quinn went 43-42 across
six seasons as Atlanta's head coach, reaching the playoffs in back -to-
back years (2016 –17). He then spent three seasons (2021–23) as
Dallas's defensive coordinator before returning to a head coaching role.
Quinn's NFL coaching journey dates back to 2001, when he got his start
with San Francisco.
Washington promoted David Blough to run their offense. Over the past
two seasons, he worked as an assistant quarterbacks coach for the
Commanders after retiring as a player in 2023. He made seven NFL
starts over four seasons with the Lions and Cardinals. B lough will turn
31 in late July. Washington ranked 22nd in points scored (356) and 23rd
in offensive yards (5,619) in 2025.
Daronte Jones takes over as the defensive coordinator for the
Commanders after working in the Minnesota Vikings' coaching system
over the previous four seasons (defensive backs coach and pass game
coordinator). He has five other years of coaching experience in the NFL,
with his peak coaching job coming in 2021 for LSU (defensive
coordinator). Washington finished last season 27th in points allowed
(451) while giving up the most combined yards (6,696).
Offense
The Commanders want to have a balance offense, but that requires
better defensive play. They ran the ball 49.5% of the time last season,
which almost matched 2024 (50.0%). Washington finished 2025 ranked
fourth in rushing yards (2,290) while scoring 20 tim es on the ground.
They gained 4.7 yards per carry on 28.5 runs per game. Their ball
carriers gained 20 yards or more on 11 plays.
Washington passed for 3,329 yards (24th), with weakness in their
completion rate (61.2%). Their offensive line allowed 37 sacks. The
Commanders’ quarterbacks finished with 19 touchdowns and 12
interceptions.
Quarterbacks
QB Jayden Daniels, WAS
Jayden Daniels projects for 3696 passing yards, 21 passing TDs, and 10 INTs, with 663 rushing yards and 7 rushing TDs adding fantasy value for the Washington Commanders. This is a projection-derived draft blurb and requires player-ID and team validation before CMS import.
QB Marcus Mariota, WAS
Marcus Mariota projects for 236 passing yards, 1.3 passing TDs, and 1 INTs, with 37 rushing yards and 0 rushing TDs adding fantasy value for the Washington Commanders. This is a projection-derived draft blurb and requires player-ID and team validation before CMS import.
RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt, WAS
Jacory Croskey-Merritt projects for 177 carries for 761 yards and 6 TDs, plus 6 catches for 40 yards and 0 TDs in the Washington Commanders offense. This projection-derived outlook should be reviewed against the depth chart, ADP context, and player-ID match report before CMS import.
RB Rachaad White, WAS
Rachaad White projects for 146 carries for 583 yards and 4 TDs, plus 56 catches for 394 yards and 2 TDs in the Washington Commanders offense. This projection-derived outlook should be reviewed against the depth chart, ADP context, and player-ID match report before CMS import.
RB Kaytron Allen, WAS
Kaytron Allen projects for 63 carries for 263 yards and 4 TDs, plus 9 catches for 58 yards and 0 TDs in the Washington Commanders offense. This projection-derived outlook should be reviewed against the depth chart, ADP context, and player-ID match report before CMS import.
RB Jerome Ford, WAS
Jerome Ford projects for 10 carries for 42 yards and 0 TDs, plus 3 catches for 20 yards and 0 TDs in the Washington Commanders offense. This projection-derived outlook should be reviewed against the depth chart, ADP context, and player-ID match report before CMS import.
WR Terry McLaurin, WAS
Terry McLaurin projects for 1 carries for 1141 yards and 0 TDs, plus 89 catches for 1141 yards and 9 TDs in the Washington Commanders offense. This projection-derived outlook should be reviewed against the depth chart, ADP context, and player-ID match report before CMS import.
WR Antonio Williams, WAS
Antonio Williams projects for 3 carries for 725 yards and 0 TDs, plus 64 catches for 725 yards and 4 TDs in the Washington Commanders offense. This projection-derived outlook should be reviewed against the depth chart, ADP context, and player-ID match report before CMS import.
WR Treylon Burks, WAS
Treylon Burks projects for 13 catches for 142 yards and 0 TDs in the Washington Commanders offense. This projection-derived outlook should be reviewed against the depth chart, ADP context, and player-ID match report before CMS import.
WR Luke McCaffrey, WAS
Luke McCaffrey projects for 24 catches for 338 yards and 1 TDs in the Washington Commanders offense. This projection-derived outlook should be reviewed against the depth chart, ADP context, and player-ID match report before CMS import.
WR Jaylin Lane, WAS
Jaylin Lane projects for 1 carries for 332 yards and 0 TDs, plus 27 catches for 332 yards and 2 TDs in the Washington Commanders offense. This projection-derived outlook should be reviewed against the depth chart, ADP context, and player-ID match report before CMS import.
TE Ben Sinnott, WAS
Ben Sinnott projects for 18 catches for 0 yards and 0 TDs in the Washington Commanders offense. This projection-derived outlook should be reviewed against the depth chart, ADP context, and player-ID match report before CMS import.
TE Chig Okonkwo, WAS
Chig Okonkwo projects for 55 catches for 0 yards and 4 TDs in the Washington Commanders offense. This projection-derived outlook should be reviewed against the depth chart, ADP context, and player-ID match report before CMS import.