The 5 O’Clock Club: One thought on each of the Commanders’ 27 veteran free agents of 2026

No. 2 P Tress Way (re-signed, 1 year)
Normally, I’d be saying that a 36-yr-old punter being paid over $3m per year should be replaced by a younger, cheaper option, but Tress, our longest-tenured player, is a good punter, great holder, locker room leader, and active in the community. As long as he keeps doing all those things well for a cap hit of around $1.5m on a 4-year qualifying contract, I’m happy to see him coming back for another year. Here’s hoping he’s on the sidelines for the opening game at the new stadium in 2030!

No. 3 OL Trent Scott (re-signed, 1 year)
Washington is Trent Scott’s 4th team, and in every year of his 8-year career, he has started at least one game (and has 27 total starts in his career, including 3 last season) although he saw the field for just 82 snaps in 2025. In 2024, he seemed to surprise everyone when he stepped in at RG and played pretty well when Sam Cosmi was lost to an ACL tear. A year ago, it felt inevitable that he would make the 53-man roster. This year, I think he may be on the roster bubble behind Tunsil, Conerly, Coleman, and Wylie. I could see him ending up on the practice squad or signing with another team.

Nos. 4 – 6 WRs Dyami Brown, Treylon Burks & Van Jefferson (all 1 year)
Each of these guys got a contract worth between $1.26m and $1.99m in 2026. I think Van Jefferson ends up being the odd man out, with Burks & Brown both getting regular snaps, but with neither likely to have more than 30 or so catches or more than 300 or so yards; however, if one catches fire, the other will probably be relegated to the end of the bench. Any of these guys could get displaced by a great training camp & preseason by a player like Ja’Corey Brooks or Jacoby Jones.

No. 7 RB Jeremy McNichols

I like McNichols, but the Commanders RB room is competitive enough that there may not be room for him to make the 53-man roster for the 3rd year in a row. I think that Bill Croskey-Merritt, Fatman Allen and Rachaad White are roster locks. For McNichols to make the 53-man roster, I think the team will need to keep 4 backs, and I have him ahead of Jerome Ford if they do. Despite an unimpressive career stat sheet, McNichols could end up on another NFL roster if the Commanders don’t have him on the Week 1 roster. Hopefully, he would land on the Washington practice squad instead. He’s a valuable back who has had 2 solid seasons in a Commanders uniform.

No. 8 CB Amik Robertson (signed, 2 years)

I just haven’t been able to work up any enthusiasm for Robertson. His contract indicates that the Commanders aren’t fully sold on him either, as it is basically a 1-year, $7.5m deal with a team option for a second year at about the same price. Undersized and his best season now 3 years past, this feels like a roster band aid that isn’t completely adequate and not sticky enough for long-term duty.

No. 9 OL Andrew Wylie (re-signed, 2 years)

When he was the starting right tackle, I felt the team could do better. As a back up guard/tackle earning $3.75m per year, I’m fine with Wylie. It feels like the right role and pay for the 8-year veteran.

No. 10 EDGE Charles Omenihu (signed, 1 year)

At 6’6”, 275 pounds, Omenihu offers the versatility to line up anywhere from 3-tech to 9-tech and play effectively. At $4m for one season, the price is right. He should provide a lot of what Daronte Jones will be looking for in 2026. If he provides it, he can be brought back in ‘27; if not, it’s a low-cost/low-risk signing. Here’s Omenihu talking about his role in the new Commanders defense:

This is my eighth year in the league so I can quickly understand somebody having a plan and somebody not having a plan. When you do have a plan, that breeds success. So just having a plan in the run game and how it will be a lot of individual one-on-one blocks. How it will be a lot of just, I wouldn’t want to say easy because nothing in the NFL is easy, but where you’re not going to be in a position where you could be not in an advantage. And then in the pass game, rushing inside. I can’t wait, honestly.

No. 11 EDGE Deatrich Wise (re-signed, 1 year)

Wise was one of the many older veteran free agents signed to a low-cost contract last season, and, while he only managed to stay healthy for 2 games, he looked good when he was on the field. He’s back on a vet-minimum contract for ‘26 and is in a dense position group. I’m not sure that the numbers allow him to make it to the 53-man roster to open the season, but, if not, he could well be there as an injury replacement in November or December. This is a good re-signing.

No. 12 Tim Settle (re-signed, 3 years)

Like most Washington fans, I am very pleased to see the Penguin return to the team that drafted him. In his 4 years away, he has developed and undergone ‘seasoning’. He is a stronger, better player than he was when he left. I don’t expect him to have an All-Pro season, but I expect him to do a lot of dirty work in the middle of the Commanders defense that will help fuel a turnaround under new coordinator Daronte Jones.

No. 13 EDGE K’Lavon Chaisson (signed, 1 year)

Chaisson had 12.5 sacks over the past two seasons; I have the feeling that he has a career year ahead of him in Washington. If he does what I expect him to do — put up around 9 sacks playing around 55% of defensive snaps — then he should be in line for a very substantial payday in 2027 free agency. Basically, I feel like Chaisson and I are both banking on him hitting his up-side potential in ‘26.

No. 14 EDGE Odafe Oweh (signed, 4 years)

At 4 years, $96m, the signing of Odafeh Oweh was Adam Peters’ biggest swing of the ‘26 offseason. The Commanders GM is banking on Oweh to be the guy he was in Baltimore in ‘24 and the final 12 games of the 2025 season, which Oweh spent with the Chargers. In those two stints, he produced 17.5 sacks in 29 games — but he had 5 games with the Ravens to open the ‘25 season in which he managed zero sacks. The clear belief is that Oweh will be able to produce double-digit sacks in the Daronte Jones pressure-based defense. I’m trusting Adam Peters and the Washington coaching staff to have assessed him correctly. If so, he will be a multi-year cornerstone of the Commanders defense.

No. 15 RB Rachaad White (signed, 1 year)

I’m actually pretty excited to see White in a Commanders uniform. With 2,500 rushing yards, 1,400 receiving yards & 25 touchdowns in his first 4 seasons, he’s proving to be good for about 1,000 yards & 6 TDs per year. This year’s 3-headed monster of Rachaad, Bill & Fatman will be young (27, 25, 23) and, I believe, as talented as any RB group that Washington has fielded in recent years.

No. 16 DL Shy Tuttle (signed, 1 year)

Tuttle is a 300-pound interior defensive lineman who has been in the NFL for 7 years. He was claimed by Washington off of waivers in December when he was released from the Titans after recovering from a multi-game concussion, and he played for the Commanders in Weeks 17 & 18. While Tuttle may not be a familiar name to many Commanders fans, he has played over 3,000 career defensive snaps and I think he actually has a chance to win a roster spot in camp as a rotational iDL. From 2019 to 2024, he played around 45% of defensive snaps and about 15% of special teams snaps for the Saints and Panthers. Before last year’s concussion, he’d missed only 2 games in the prior 4 seasons. He may be ‘on the bubble’, but look for Tuttle to compete in training camp. If he doesn’t make the 53-man roster, there’s a chance he gets signed by another NFL team that needs a big body in the middle of the defense.

No. 15 RB Jerome Ford (signed, 1 year)

Honestly, I don’t see how Ford makes the 53-man roster. I have Bill, Fatman and Rachaad White as roster locks. If the Commanders keep a 4th RB, I think McNichols will be that guy. Ford appears destined for a spot on the practice squad and, perhaps, a late-season injury replacement role.

No. 18 S Nick Cross (signed, 2 years)

At $6.5m per season, Cross is only the 30th-highest paid safety in the NFL, but he is #1 on the Commanders roster (Will Harris is #2 at $4m per year). It’s clear that the Commanders see him as the top guy in the safety room, and he should play a very significant role in the defense. A local player from Bowie, Maryland; Cross should serve as the aggressive, “tone-setting” box safety, focused on impacting the run and blitzing from the secondary. Meanwhile, Harris will usually play as the free safety, leveraging his ability to cover tight ends and provide flexibility between safety and nickel spots. This pairing fits into DC Daronte Jones’ expected philosophy of employing 3-safety looks and using multiple fronts to create pre- and post-snap confusion. I expect the safety play to be much-improved this season.

No. 19 LB Leo Chenal (signed, 3 years)

Two years ago, I was pretty open about the fact that my favorite free agent signing — and the player I most anticipated watching on the field — was Frankie Luvu, who struck me as a defensive spark plug who would personify the 2024 Commanders defensive philosophy. This season, my feelings about Chenal are very similar to how I felt about Luvu two years ago. With his physical, “downhill” play style, Chenal should be solid against the run while adding to Daronte Jones’ varied and exotic blitz packages since the linebacker is capable of lining up inside, on the edge, or even dropping into effective coverage against elite tight ends. The unit, featuring Chenal, Luvu & Styles, backed up by Magee, Medrano, and possibly Kaho, should be the best linebacking corps Washington has fielded since, at least, the pre-Gruden era. Analysts who expect the Commanders defense to rank in the bottom half of the league are too tied to what happened under Joe Whitt, and they aren’t paying attention to what Adam Peters has done to the roster in free agency and with the selection of Sonny Styles in the draft.

No. 20 CB Ahkello Witherspoon (signed, 1 year)

As with the CB signing of Amik Robertson, this one leaves me feeling underwhelmed. The only thing that comforts me about the signing of this 31-year-old cornerback is that he is on a vet-minimum contract, which tells me that the front office doesn’t see him as “the answer” to what has ailed the Commanders secondary. Absent some sort of trade between now and September, I expect Witherspoon to make the 53-man roster, but that is more a reflection of the weakness at the position group than any endorsement of the player. It feels as if the cornerback group will be the weakest and thinnest part of the roster in 2026, and — along with wide receiver — will be the priority for upgrading in the 2027 offseason. For now, I’ll be rooting for Witherspoon and his fellow CBs to play much better than I expect them to.

No. 21 EDGE Drake Jackson (re-signed, 1 year)

With Oweh, Armstrong, Chaisson and Josephs appearing to be roster locks, I see Drake Jackson in a dogfight with players like Javonte Jean-Baptiste for a spot on the roster. I’m not really sure what to think of Jackson. I never watched him play when he was with the 49ers, and last season, with the Commanders, he played 61 snaps in the final 3 games, tallying 3 tackles. He’s probably the biggest mystery on the roster in my mind. I have him “on the bubble”, with my best guess being that he ends up on the practice squad and a possible late-season injury replacement.

No. 22 TE Chigoziem Okonkwo (signed, 3 years)

Okonkwo was the guy I wanted the Commanders to sign at the tight end position this year. I see him as an exciting player who was under-utilized with the Titans. I think he’ll thrive in Washington, probably exceeding his career-best single season marks of 56 catches, 560 yards, and 2 TDs. Okonkwo has some wide receiver skills, allowing him to create mismatches against linebackers and safeties. His versatility to line up inline, in the slot, or as an H-back will offer new offensive coordinator David Blough significant flexibility to run multiple-tight end sets alongside Ben Sinnott and John Bates, which may help Sinnott finally start to make his mark on the stat sheets. I love the fact that Chig is on a 3-year contract; the Commanders should have stability at the position at least through 2027, when John Bates reaches the end of his current deal.

No. 23 K Jake Moody (re-signed, 1 year)

I am never as down on the current Washington kicker (whoever it happens to be at any given time) as the rest of the fan base — except for Chris Blewitt; I was opposed to the release of Dustin Hopkins when it happened and really hated the Blewitt signing. Washington fans seem to feel that anything less than 100% accuracy from a field goal kicker is unacceptable. For the most part, Washington has had a parade of league-average kickers, with each, in his turn, falling out of favor with fans with a couple of missed kicks. Moody has been…inconsistent in his career, but he had a very good run with the Commanders in his 6 games last year, hitting 10 of 11 field goals, including two over 50 yards. Oddly, his only misses of the season were a 24-yarder off the upright and an extra point — both misses came in wins over divisional opponents. I expect Moody to open the season as Washington’s kicker in Week 1, and I expect fans to howl for him to be replaced if he misses a kick at any point in the season. I’ll just remind everyone that Dustin Hopkins made 60 of 66 field goal attempts (~91%) in 2021, ‘22, and ‘23 after being cut by Ron Rivera in the middle of the season when he was 12-14 on field goals. Usually, the best approach with kickers is to stick with them unless they really suck or start losing games.

No. 24 DL DJ Davidson (signed, 1 year)

At 320 pounds, Davidson spent his first 4 seasons with the Giants, playing around 28% of defensive snaps. In 806 snaps over 47 games, he recorded 49 tackles, 2.5 sacks, three quarterback hits and three passes defensed. He looks like a decent backup signed to a vet-minimum contract. I expect he’ll be ‘on the bubble’ and in competition with Shy Tuttle to make the 53-man roster to open the season. Davidson likely ends up on the practice squad, and possibly a late-season injury replacement.

No. 25 LG Chris Paul (re-signed, 1 year)

I was a voice in the wilderness back in February when I suggested that Chris Paul’s market value was between $3m and $5m per year, and said that he wasn’t likely to be in demand based on his one solid season starting at LG for the 5-12 Commanders. While I didn’t expect him to have a strong market — and he didn’t — I am a fan of the player because he was a late-round pick who spent 3 years working to improve and get on the field before finally breaking through in 2025. I am happy to have him back. I don’t know whether he’ll hold on to his starting spot at LG or whether Brandon Coleman will beat him out, but Paul is known to bring his lunchpail to work every day, so I won’t bet against him. Whether starter or backup, I see Paul as a roster lock in 2026, a year in which he’ll want to prove that he’s worth a lot more money to any NFL team that needs a starting offensive guard.

No. 26 CB Darius Rush (signed, 1 year)

39 career defensive snaps — all from the 2023 season — and a vet minimum contract with no signing bonus and no guarantees. If anyone ever looked like a “camp body”, it’s Darius Rush.

No. 27 WR Ja’Corey Brooks (signed, 1 year)

Brooks is a 24-year-old big bodied (6’3”, 195 lbs) receiver that the Commanders signed as an undrafted rookie last year. Let me quote from a recent Mason-Brennan Awards preview article:

Brooks was a Cinderella story of the 2025 pre-season. After signing with the Commanders as an UDFA, Brooks had a strong training camp and led the team in receptions through three pre-season games. That earned him a place on the practice squad. He was elevated for the Week 6 game against Chicago, but was not targeted in 6 offensive snaps. He suffered a season-ending injury in November, but was reportedly healthy when he signed his contract for 2026.

Brooks went undrafted, after a stellar senior season at Louisville, because he lacks the speed and crisp route running to separate consistently, leading to high numbers of contested targets. To his credit, he excels at hauling them in.

On a team with probably 4 roster locks in the WR corps that is notably short of big receivers, Brooks would seem to have a chance of sticking as the last guy on the depth chart if he again shows promise in the preseason — the competition isn’t all that impressive. I think his worst-case outcome is another season on the practice squad, and possibly seeing some regular season snaps as a practice squad elevation or a late-season injury replacement.