CINCINNATI — Welcome to TWSN’s NFL Team Preview Series. From today through September 2nd, we’re previewing each of the 32 NFL teams in depth as we gear up for the 2025 NFL Season.
In each of these previews, we’ll look at each team and what they have done since their 2024 season ended. That includes their free agency additions and losses, and their draft classes. We will then take a look at their coaching staffs—highlighting their head coaches as well as their offensive, defensive, and special teams coordinators—and schedules for the upcoming season.
To conclude, I’ll tell you what I think each team’s floor and ceiling are and what I think the final verdict on each team is going into the 2025 season.
Today, we’re previewing the Washington Commanders. The Commanders have an incredible amount of momentum right now. Their rebrand has been extremely impressive to watch, and Jayden Daniels looks like he is ready to be a superstar in the NFL.
But this season, the Commanders won’t be able to catch teams by surprise. They have a much tougher schedule in terms of opponents and prime time/national television. When the Commanders are good, the NFL rewards them by being in the national spotlight early and often. Having a budding superstar quarterback in Jayden Daniels also helps put them in the national spotlight a lot throughout the season.
More NFL Content From TWSN
The Lamar Jackson MVP Talk is Getting Stale
The 8 NFL Players Under The Most Pressure in 2025
NFL Top 100: TWSN’s Top 100 Players Ahead of 2025 NFL Season
Washington Commanders 2025 Preview
How will the Commanders fare in the upcoming season?
Washington Commanders Free Agency Additions
WR Deebo Samuel, WR Michael Gallup, K Matt Gay, DT Eddie Goldman, S Will Harris, C Nate Herbig, QB Josh Johnson, CB Jonathan Jones, DT Javon Kinlaw, LB Jake Martin, OG Tyre Phillips, OT Foster Sarell, CB Kevon Seymour, OT Laremy Tunsil, EDGE Deatrich Wise Jr.
This is a really strong free agency class. Deebo Samuel is a big splash, and it’s a clear message that the Commanders are ready to win now.
My only concern is, did the Commanders do enough to address needs on defense? Javon Kinlaw will help up front, but there are multiple older players behind the Commanders’ defensive line.
Washington Commanders Free Agency Losses
DT Jonathan Allen, WR Dyami Brown, S Jeremy Chinn, WR Jamison Crowder, CB Michael Davis, QB Jeff Driskel, S Darrick Forrest, EDGE Dante Fowler Jr., OT Cornellius Lucas, K Austin Seibert, CB Benjamin St-Juste, LB Mykal Walker, WR Olamide Zaccheaus
Speaking of defense, Allen was a younger player who could rush the quarterback. Without him, where does the Commanders’ pass rush come from this season?
Aside from him, there aren’t any other glaring losses. It’s just going to be interesting to see if the Commanders did enough this offseason on defense.
Washington Commanders 2025 Draft Class
1. Round 1, Pick 29: Josh Conerly Jr. – OT, Oregon
2. Round 2, Pick 61: Trey Amos – CB, Mississippi
3. Round 4, Pick 128: Jaylin Lane – WR, Virginia Tech
4. Round 6, Pick 205: Kain Medrano – LB, UCLA
5. Round 7, Pick 245: Jacory Croskey-Merritt – RB, Arizona
Washington only had five picks in this year’s draft. They went in the trenches in the first round, which is smart with a quarterback like Jayden Daniels. Watch for Trey Amos, who will be needed to contribute in a secondary that is a position of concern on the Commanders team.
Washington Commanders Breakout Player: Cornerback Mike Sainristill
Sainristill kind of broke out last season with two interceptions and 14 passes defended. But now with the Commanders back in the national spotlight, more fans will get to see what he is capable of as a really solid cornerback. Expectations are high surrounding Sainristill this season.
Washington Commanders Coaching Staff
Dan Quinn: Head Coach (2nd Season, 12-5; 8th Overall, 55-47) – 54 years old
The job Dan Quinn did in his first season as the head coach of the Commanders is incredibly commendable. He completely remade the culture in the Commanders’ locker room, which is reminiscent of what he did in Atlanta.
Winning 12 games in 2024, the Commanders led the NFL in fourth-down conversion percentage and went to their first NFC Championship since 1991. Their eight-win improvement from the season prior is the most in the NFL since 2019.
This is not Quinn’s first head coaching stint. He was the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons for five+ seasons, leading the Falcons to Super Bowl LI and the Divisional round of the playoffs in 2017. The Falcons were No. 6 in the NFL with 105 takeaways in Quinn’s tenure as head coach and compiled a 43-42 record.
Quinn came to Washington after three seasons as the Dallas Cowboys’ defensive coordinator, with the Cowboys picking off 59 passes from 2021-2023 to lead the NFL. The Cowboys were top five in several other statistical categories over those three seasons, and Quinn was instrumental in the development of All-Pros Micah Parsons, Trevon Diggs, and DaRon Bland.
It was with the Seattle Seahawks that Quinn made his name as a defensive coordinator. Coaching the famous Legion of Boom, the Seahawks defense led the NFL in yards per game, points per game, passing yards per game, and takeaways with 63. Richard Sherman had 12 interceptions in those two seasons, and four total players made a combined seven Pro Bowls.
Kliff Kingsbury: Offensive Coordinator (2nd Season) – 46 years old
There are a lot of players and coaches who have come to Washington to revive their careers. Kingsbury is a prime example.
After a 28-37-1 season as the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals for four seasons, Kingsbury is now running one of the NFL’s most dynamic offenses that’s led by budding superstar quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Kingsbury was the head coach at Texas Tech from 2013-2016, when Patrick Mahomes was quarterbacking the Red Raiders. The Red Raiders were a top 10 passing offense and top 20 total offense in each of those six seasons, and they averaged 30 points per game in each season.
In 2012, Kingsbury was Texas A&M’s offensive coordinator when Johnny Manziel took college football by storm and became the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy.
Before that, Kingsbury was the offensive coordinator at Houston, where he worked with record-setting quarterback Case Keenum. The Cougars averaged 49.3 points per game in 2011 and averaged just shy of 600 yards per game.
As a player at Texas Tech, Kingsbury set 39 school records, 16 Big 12 records, and 17 NCAA records. He was the 2002 AP National Offensive Player of the Year and won the Sammy Baugh Trophy while also being named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year.
Joe Whitt Jr.: Defensive Coordinator (2nd Season) – 47 years old
The Commanders’ defense took a big step forward in Whitt’s first season as defensive coordinator, finishing 13th in yards allowed per game and third in passing yards allowed per game.
Whitt was Dan Quinn’s secondary coach in Dallas from 2021-2023, coaching DaRon Bland to a record-setting five interceptions returned for a touchdown.
In Green Bay, Whitt was the Packers’ cornerbacks coach for nine seasons and coached Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback Charles Woodson to the 2009 Defensive Player of the Year award with nine interceptions, four forced fumbles, 18 passes defended, and three defensive touchdowns. The Packers won Super Bowl XLV in 2010.
Whitt was a wide receiver at Auburn, where he started as a walk-on before earning a scholarship.
Larry Izzo: Special Teams Coordinator (2nd Season) – 50 years old
A three-time Super Bowl champion with the New England Patriots- he’s a member of the Patriots All-Dynasty Team- and a 2004 First-Team All-Pro plus a three-time Pro Bowler, Izzo is an outstanding special teams coach who is on his third team in that role. He’s also been the special teams coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks and Houston Texans.
Izzo also won a Super Bowl with the New York Giants as an assistant special teams coach when the Giants won Super Bowl XLVI in 2011.
As a player, Izzo played 14 seasons with the Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, and New York Jets. He was a special teams captain nine times, and he made 275 special teams tackles in 200 regular-season games and 23 more in 21 playoff games. He played linebacker at Rice, starting for three seasons and finishing fourth in program history with 301 tackles, setting a school record with 46 tackles for loss.
2025 Washington Commanders Schedule
Week 1: vs. New York Giants (1:00 on FOX)
Week 2: @ Green Bay Packers – Thursday Night Football (8:15 on Prime Video)
Week 3: vs. Las Vegas Raiders (1:00 on FOX)
Week 4: @ Atlanta Falcons (1:00 on CBS)
Week 5: @ Los Angeles Chargers (4:25 on FOX)
Week 6: vs. Chicago Bears – Monday Night Football (8:15 on ABC)
Week 7: @ Dallas Cowboys – America’s Game of the Week (4:25 on FOX)
Week 8: @ Kansas City Chiefs – Monday Night Football (8:15 on ESPN and ABC)
Week 9: vs. Seattle Seahawks – Sunday Night Football (8:20 on NBC)
Week 10: vs. Detroit Lions – America’s Game of the Week (4:25 on FOX)
Week 11: @ Miami Dolphins – Madrid (9:30 a.m. on NFL Network)
Week 12: BYE
Week 13: vs. Denver Broncos – Sunday Night Football (8:20 on NBC)
Week 14: @ Minnesota Vikings (1:00 on FOX)
Week 15: @ New York Giants (1:00 on FOX)
Week 16: vs. Philadelphia Eagles – NFL on FOX Doubleheader (TBD)
Week 17: vs. Dallas Cowboys – Christmas Gameday on Netflix (4:30 on Netflix)
Week 18: @ Philadelphia Eagles (TBD)
There is no sleeping on this schedule. Everyone is going to look ahead to Week 2 at Green Bay on Thursday Night Football. However, do not overlook the Giants in Week 1. That feels like a presumed win. I wouldn’t think like that. The Giants may feel slighted, and facing a pass rush that feels slighted could end up feeling like facing Lawrence Taylor and Harry Carson.
Every game on this schedule is a challenge. In particular, Weeks 6-11 are tough. Chicago, Dallas, Kansas City, Seattle, Detroit, and then Miami in Madrid. Three prime time games and on national television every week.
It doesn’t get easier after the bye week. Both games against Philadelphia are in the final three weeks of the regular season. Sandwiched between them? A home game on Christmas Day against the Cowboys.
The Commanders being back as one of the NFL’s premier teams is great for the NFL. Their reward is a schedule like this.
The Floor For The 2025 Washington Commanders
When you have a quarterback like Jayden Daniels, he will win you games by himself. That will have the Commanders, at the very least, in contention for a return trip to the playoffs this season.
The Ceiling For The 2025 Washington Commanders
If Terry McLaurin and the Commanders can come to a contract extension, and they should, this offense is going to fly this season. The key for this team is the younger players on defense stepping up this season. If they do, this team can legitimately challenge Philadelphia in the NFC East. Even though the Eagles were dominant in 2024, they only finished two games above Washington in the NFC East standings. Washington beat Philadelphia in Week 16, and they know they can beat them this season.
The Verdict For The 2025 Washington Commanders
There’s a lot to like about the Commanders this season, especially Jayden Daniels. However, I am concerned about the young guys stepping up on defense and when the contract situation with Terry McLaurin can be resolved.
In addition, the Commanders won’t be able to catch teams by surprise early this season like they did last season. A slower start means the Commanders could be playing catch-up this season. In a crowded NFC, a slow start could keep the Commanders out of the playoffs.