We are just a few days away from the investigations into the Washington Commanders’ disastrous campaign beginning. General manager Adam Peters has a significant amount to get through this offseason, and the moves made will likely determine how far this franchise is from entering the playoff picture again.

Peters needs to be ruthless and aggressive in equal measure this offseason. The Commanders also need to get younger across the board, with the NFL’s oldest roster in 2025 providing almost no real hope for the future. And this should all start on the defensive side of the football.

There is no room for sentiment. If that means upsetting some established stars along the way, so be it, but the time for half-measures is over after Peters went all in only for things to fall apart.

Commanders haven’t got enough from Will Harris this season, and big changes are looming

And for one of Peters’ biggest offseason gambles, a nervous few weeks await before his fate is determined.

When the Commanders let Jeremy Chinn leave for the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency, fans were disappointed. The former Southern Illinois standout was a revelation in 2024, doing more than enough for another financial commitment. Peters didn’t think he was worth what the AFC West club was willing to pay. And he also thought he could get similar production at a lower cost from Will Harris.

Even though an early injury derailed his momentum considerably, Harris’ performances have been inconsistent at best since returning to the lineup. There are several good moments, but the consistency is nowhere near the level required. And there is no more time to alter perceptions.

Harris has one year left on his contract, counting $5 million on the salary cap with no guaranteed dollars left. Massive changes are coming to a safety unit that hasn’t even met modest expectations. Almost everyone should be anxiously looking over their shoulders, and that includes the 2019 third-round pick out of Boston College.

If the Commanders can find the desired upgrades on the back end of their defense, cutting Harris would save $4 million, with $1 million in dead money. Keeping him around looks equally feasible, so things are really hanging in the balance heading into the spring.

Either way, this decision hasn’t gone as Peters had hoped. If Harris hadn’t gotten injured, it might have been a different story. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case, and now the Commanders are facing the prospect of gutting their defense to make the required improvements.

Time will tell on that, but Harris’ status in 2026 is not secure by any stretch of the imagination.