The Washington Commanders are set to lose a few of their key veteran pass rushers this offseason. But could Washington make a big splash in replacing them with one of the top edge rushers in recent years — Trey Hendrickson?
ESPN’s Aaron Schatz sees that as a distinct possibility. While projecting Friday one free agent the Commanders will sign this offseason, Schatz named Hendrickson.
“For the No. 1 free agent, we’re looking for three things. First, a team with a gaping hole at the edge rusher position. Second, a team with a lot of cap space. Third, a legitimate playoff contender,” wrote Schatz.
“The Commanders definitely hit that first qualifier, as three of their top four edges are free agents. They also hit the second qualifier with the sixth-most cap space, per Roster Management System. And you might not think of them as legitimate playoff contenders, but they are only one season removed from appearing in the NFC Championship Game.
“I think coach Dan Quinn will need to try his hardest to convince Hendrickson to come in and help improve the struggling Washington pass rush.”
Signing Hendrickson would be a major splash for the Commanders. ESPN has the 31-year-old rated as the top available player in 2026 NFL free agency.
The edge rusher missed 10 games last season because of a core muscle injury. But from 2020-24, he reached at least 13.5 sacks four times. He also led the NFL with 17.5 sacks and made first-team All-Pro in 2024.
How Trey Hendrickson Fits With Commanders
Even if Washington was bringing back everyone from its 2025 defense, the team would have to find a way to get younger at edge rusher. Three of its top five defenders in sacks last season were at least 30.
Hendrickson doesn’t help a lot in that area. He will turn 32 in December. But he’s younger than Von Miller and Bobby Wagner. Both of those former All-Pros are 35 or older.
Miller and Wagner are also both free agents for Washington. Miller led the Commanders with nine sacks last season while Wagner had 4.5.
Hendrickson would provide Dan Quinn and the Commanders a major boost along the edge. He wouldn’t directly replace Miller or Wagner, but he would fill in for Jacob Martin.
A fellow defensive end, Martin was second for Washington with 5.5 sacks last season and is also a free agent in March.
Hendrickson had back-to-back campaigns with 17.5 sacks in 2023 and 2024. He made the Pro Bowl each season with the Cincinnati Bengals from 2021-23 before finally earning All-Pro recognition in 2024.
Last season, Hendrickson registered four sacks with three tackles for loss and eight quarterback hits in seven games.
Projecting Hendrickson’s NFL Free Agency Value
It’s not going to be cheap for the Commanders to sign Hendrickson. Even at 31 years old, pundits expect the defensive end to demand one of the highest salaries in 2026 free agency.
The Athletic’s Daniel Popper predicted Hendrickson to be worth $99 million on a 3-year deal.
Like ESPN, Popper rated Hendrickson the top unrestricted free agent of this offseason.
As Schatz explained, though, the Commanders have the cap space to make the kind of free agency splash it would take to land Hendrickson. According to Spotrac, Washington has $50.18 million in cap space entering March.
That is ranked fifth-most in the league.
Because of Hendrickson’s age, Washington should still dedicate draft capital to bolstering the team’s pass rush if they sign him. But inking Hendrickson would give the Commanders some time to land their next star edge rusher in the draft.
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