ASHBURN, Va. -- The first step on the Washington Commanders' road to recovery from a disastrous 2025 season involved finding two new coordinators. The next step might be the harder one: finding talent to ensure those new coordinators can make it work.
Earlier this month, Washington parted ways with offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury and promoted David Blough from assistant quarterbacks coach. Then, it fired defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. and hired Daronte Jones in his place this week.
The defensive staff will likely undergo numerous changes. One team source said they want to hire an established coach for their front seven, among other spots. The full coaching staff won't be finalized for perhaps another week.
But the rest of the offseason will be about improving the talent level, after finishing the 2025 season 5-12, and to see if they can get back to where they were a year ago at this time, when they had just lost in the NFC Championship Game.
Injuries impacted this season, but as one team source said it also revealed they lacked enough depth to overcome them. Washington's offense has a strong foundation, starting with quarterback Jayden Daniels, who will be entering his third season in 2026. But his 2025 was marked by injuries, contributing to him playing four full games and seven overall last season. One current NFL coach said one reason the Commanders' defensive coordinator opening was appealing stemmed from the presence of the former No. 2 overall pick, knowing how a healthy year from him could boost the entire team.
The Commanders also like their offensive line and only need a few pieces to help Blough even more.
The defense, however, needs an overhaul. Over the past two seasons combined, Washington ranks 24th in points, 28th in yards and 31st in takeaways. It's going to take more than just a new coordinator to change their fortunes.
Here's a list of everything the Commanders' roster needs this offseason:
OFFENSE
Tight end help
Zach Ertz suffered a torn ACL on Dec. 7. And while one league source told ESPN the 35-year-old wants to continue playing, there's a good chance it won't be in Washington. If so, that means the Commanders would need someone to fill his role: provide a security blanket for Daniels. One league source said Ertz was Daniels' "guy" and that he would need someone else to get open in the middle of the field.
Washington drafted Ben Sinnott in the second round in 2024 and he has emerged as a quality blocker who helped occasionally as a pass-catcher with seven of his 11 receptions occurring in the four games after Ertz was hurt. The Commanders also have John Bates, whom they consider the best blocking tight end in the NFL, and Colson Yankoff.
General manager Adam Peters said they know what they want at the position going forward.
"Think of a Zach Ertz type of skillset where Jayden knows where he is going to be when he is going to be," Peters said, "and trust that he's going to catch the ball and make the play, which he did really incredibly for the last two years and that's sorely missed. For sure."
Receiver
Washington had a lack of depth at receiver which proved to be a major issue after its top wideout, Terry McLaurin, missed seven games. Making matters worse, oft-injured Noah Brown -- one of their top three along with Deebo Samuel -- missed 13 games. Their other two receivers at the start of the season were second-year Luke McCaffrey and rookie Jaylin Lane. McCaffrey caught 11 passes for 203 yards and three touchdowns in nine games before suffering a season-ending broken collarbone; Lane caught 16 passes for 225 yards in 15 games but did score twice on punt returns.
Due to all the injuries, Washington used seven receivers who spent time on the practice squad. The group combined for 29 catches, 438 yards and two scores. One of those players was Treylon Burks, whom they claimed after Tennessee waived their 2022 first-round pick.
Brown and Samuel are free agents -- the latter caught a team-high 72 passes for 727 yards and five touchdowns. Regardless of their fates, the Commanders need more speed and depth.
Peters said they looked at different ways to add receivers once the injuries mounted but couldn't always find the right fit.
"We just didn't always pull the trigger just depending on what that cost or whether it's draft capital, whether it's contract, whatever it is and it's certainly something we'll have to look at down the road," he said.
Running back
When the Commanders lost Austin Ekeler in Week 2 to a torn Achilles, their offense lost a valuable piece of their offense. He's now a free agent and turns 31 in May; if Washington wants to add more juice, it could look for a younger player at this spot to help as both a runner and passer.
Rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt did rush for a team-high 805 yards and eight touchdowns, but caught just nine passes for 68 yards. They also have Chris Rodriguez, a restricted free agent this offseason. Their other back, Jeremy McNichols, is a free agent.
If nothing else Washington could add one more back and have good depth with Rodriquez and Croskey-Merritt.
Late in the season Kingsbury said this about Croskey-Merritt.
"When he touches the ball, good things happen. He has some real natural ability ... and as he learns how to play away from the football more the pass-pro stuff, the pass game, he'll just become better and better. Some of the plays he is made as a guy who's just kind of figuring it out has been really impressive."
DEFENSE
There's no use separating the categories on defense because the Commanders need help all over. One opposing coach who faced Washington in the second half of the season called it the "easiest" defense they faced all season. He said they weren't worried about any spots beyond the interior of the line -- Daron Payne and Javon Kinlaw in particular.
Another opposing coach said earlier this week that Washington needs to add a lot more talent on that side of the ball regardless of who got the coordinator job.
The Commanders, who own the seventh pick in the draft and the sixth most cap space according to Spotrac and Overthecap.com, don't disagree. At the season-ending press conference Peters was asked about potential defensive positions to address in the offseason.
"There's a lot of spots we can look at," Peters said. "Certainly another pass rusher would be something we'd definitely be looking for."
Washington's front is aging. The Commanders opened the season with just two linemen 25 years or younger -- Jer'Zhan Newton, a second-round pick in 2024 who was their third tackle; and Javontae Jean-Baptiste, a seventh-rounder in '24 who is a rotational end.
Washington had seven linemen who were 30 or older either on the active roster or on injured reserve by season's end.
But it's not just the front. Linebacker Bobby Wagner, a pending free agent, turns 36 in June. They have a potential replacement on the roster in Jordan Magee, a fifth-round pick in 2024 who played in three-linebacker sets this past season.
And they need more help in the secondary, though one team source said Jones -- who has specialized in coaching defensive backs -- could help the development of young players such as safety Quan Martin and corner Mike Sainristil, both of whom struggled more than anticipated this past season. Regardless, one starting corner -- Marshon Lattimore -- tore his ACL in November and the team could save $18.5 million vs. the cap by releasing him.
As of now Lattimore is one of three corners signed for 2026, so more help will be needed regardless of his fate. They also must decide if Sainristil is best suited for inside or outside corner and some of that could be dependent on what Jones needs or wants from the position.
Also, if the Commanders want to replicate what Minnesota could do with safety Harrison Smith, then it will have to find a versatile player who can play in multiple spots -- in the back; in the box and occasionally along the front. They currently lack that player.
All of this leads to one theme for the defense over the next few months:
"You're always trying to get younger and faster," Peters said. "That'll be a big emphasis for us this offseason."