When it comes down to it, the Washington Commanders don’t have much on paper when it comes to the offensive side of the ball.
The offensive line might be decent, sure, although that’s mostly buoyed by having 1 of the NFL’s best left offensive tackles in Laremy Tunsil. Aside from that, there are no players on that side of the ball who looked elite in 2025 and promise to hit that level in 2026.
It’s something ESPN’s Bill Barnwell pointed out on Thursday when he released his annual “Playmaker” rankings of every team’s running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends.
If Barnwell’s prediction is right — he put the Commanders at No. 27 — then it could be another long season after a 5-12 record in 2025. Washington was ranked No. 13 in Barnwell’s 2025 poll.
“If Terry McLaurin is not a legitimate No. 1 wide receiver, well, there isn’t a lot to get excited about elsewhere,” Barnwell wrote. “Third-round pick Antonio Williams profiles as a potential playmaker in the slot, but the players around him — including Luke McCaffrey, Jaylin Lane, Treylon Burks, Dyami Brown, and Van Jefferson — don’t have great track records of NFL production. The Commanders might be more of a 12- or 13-personnel team in 2026, but Chig Okonkwo didn’t show sustained receiving ability across multiple schemes or with different quarterbacks in Tennessee, and 2024 second-rounder Ben Sinnott has 16 catches across 33 pro games so far.”
Commanders Tried and Failed to Land Elite Talent
McLaurin is coming off the worst season of his career — and it came just after he signed a 3-year, $97 million contract extension in August 2025. Not only did McLaurin miss a career-high 7 games, but he also had career lows across the board with just 38 receptions for 582 yards and 3 touchdowns.
The Commanders tried to land a big-name wide receiver in free agency and made an offer to Indianapolis Colts star Alec Pierce, who instead chose to stay put on a 4-year, $114 million contract.
Even the pursuit of Pierce shows the Commanders might not have the right people in the talent evaluation department. In the last 2 years, the Commanders’ front office has shown little skill at identifying and signing free-agent talent or even drafting good players. Pierce, it turns out, won’t even be on the field until training camp, at the earliest, following offseason ankle surgery. That seems like it would have been an important thing to consider before offering him such a big contract.
Commanders Headed Toward Nightmare Scenario
All of this offensive desperation might lead the Commanders toward what now seems like the nightmare scenario of having to trade for San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who has openly said he will sign with the Commanders if the 49ers release him.
The problem? Aiyuk has seemed like the next Antonio Brown since signing a 4-year, $120 million contract with the 49ers before the 2024 season. After a devastating knee injury early in the 2024 season, he cut off contact with the Commanders early in the 2025 season, and the rest of the guaranteed money in his contract was voided.
Even if the Commanders do get Aiyuk, who played college football with Daniels, Barnwell points out that there are other things to consider.
“Aiyuk would be an upgrade on the likes of Burks and Jefferson on the outside,” Barnwell wrote. “But it would also be smart to set expectations appropriately. Aiyuk hasn’t played since the middle of the 2024 season and won’t even have practiced before joining the Commanders. It seems reasonable to expect that we won’t see anything close to Aiyuk’s best until the second half of 2026 or even 2027.”
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