In this week’s Reacts survey, we asked two questions, both of which had to do with this offseason’s roster construction. One focused on free agency; the other focused on the upcoming draft.
Free agency
With respect to the team’s free agency acquisitions — a process that never really ends, but which has already passed through its first and most exciting stage for this offseason — we offered a list of 7 players and asked which of them will make the biggest positive difference for the Commanders in 2026.
These results are not really surprising. The top 4 players in the poll each got a multi-year contract from the team at a high visibility position – edge rusher, linebacker, ‘move’ tight end, and safety.
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The only player listed in our survey who received a multi-year deal that didn’t get any significant votes was projected nose tackle Tim Settle. This is mildly surprising because Settle is a fan favorite as a Washington 5th round draft pick success story, but of course, nose tackles do the trench warfare dirty work; it’s hard to see or measure their contributions. It’s easier to know when a team has a bad defensive NT than when they have a good one.
The voting also roughly conforms to the contracts given to these players. Oweh got the richest contract among Washington’s 2026 free agent signings, with a 4-year deal worth $96m according to Over the Cap.
Chenal and Okonkwo, who earned the 2nd & 3rd most votes in our survey, got similar contracts to one another; each signed a 3-year deal, with Chenal’s deal valued at $25m and Okonkwo’s at $27m per OTC.
Safety Nick Cross signed the shortest and least lucrative of these multi-year contracts — 2 years, $13m.
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Odafe Oweh
The bet on Odafe Oweh is similar to the one made on Frankie Luvu in 2024 — that he is an ascending player who will build on recent success in a new team with a new defensive coordinator.
Def Interceptions
Fumbles
Tackles
23
DE
15
2
0
0
0
0
1
3
0
2
0
0
5.0
33
23
10
5
15
0
3
24
LOLB
17
6
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
3.0
43
30
13
7
11
0
4
25
OLB
13
5
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
5.0
23
20
3
4
12
0
3
26
LOLB
17
10
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
10.0
39
25
14
9
23
0
5
27
2TM
OLB
17
4
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
7.5
38
20
18
9
18
0
3
27
OLB
5
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0.0
10
5
5
1
5
0
1
27
OLB
12
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
7.5
28
15
13
8
13
0
2
Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 3/28/2026.
His 52 pressures and 17.5 sacks over the past two seasons are not elite numbers, but they are good numbers compiled primarily while playing 50% of the snaps for the Chargers in ‘25 and 56% of snaps for Baltimore in ‘24.
Commanders fans know that the team struggled to generate consistent pass rush after Dorance Armstrong was injured early last season, and the results of this poll suggest that a lot of Hogs Haven readers believe that Odafe Oweh will thrive in defensive coordinator Daronte Jones’ expected high pressure defensive scheme.
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Leo Chenal
LB Leo Chenal is expected to give Jones the type of linebacker custom-made for his scheme and what many fans believe will be an ideal partner for Frankie Luvu. Chenal has the youth and sideline-to-sideline speed that was so clearly missing with future Hall of Famer Bobby Wagner last season, and the hope is that he and Luvu will be able to fill key roles in the passing defense when it relies on heavy pressure that forces quarterbacks to make quick decisions. Both players (Luvu & Chenal) should be able to help bring the pressure on some plays, and drop in coverage on others — with the offense never really sure which will happen on any given play.
Chig Okonkwo
While the offseason had a heavy defensive flavor, the biggest offensive signing was tight end Chig Okonkwo, who was my personal favorite of a strong group of new players. Okonkwo spent his first 4 NFL seasons in Tennessee, where he compiled between 450 and 560 yards in each and every season.
Receiving
Rushing
Scrimmage
23
TE
17
8
46
32
450
14.1
3
22
50.0
48
1.9
26.5
69.6
9.8
3
2
0
0
0.0
6
0.7
0.1
0.2
35
12.9
452
3
0
4
24
TE
17
11
77
54
528
9.8
1
25
48.1
39
3.2
31.1
70.1
6.9
2
6
0
1
50.0
4
3.0
0.4
0.1
56
9.5
534
1
0
5
25
TE
17
11
70
52
479
9.2
2
19
55.7
70
3.1
28.2
74.3
6.8
1
17
0
1
100.0
17
17.0
1.0
0.1
53
9.4
496
2
2
4
26
TE
17
12
79
56
560
10.0
2
24
45.6
43
3.3
32.9
70.9
7.1
0
0
0
0
0.0
0.0
56
10.0
560
2
0
4
Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 3/28/2026.
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Moreover, in his career, 1,105 of his 2,017 total receiving yards comprise YAC — yards after catch. Okonkwo shouldn’t just be able to replace another potential Hall of Fame player, Zach Ertz; he’s likely to be an upgrade to “No YAC Zach”, who was adept at getting open and catching passes, but rarely added more than a yard or two after securing the ball. Chig should offer a lot of versatility to new offensive coordinator David Blough as he can line up as a traditional tight end, a big slot receiver or an H-back.
Like Oweh on the defensive side of the ball, Okonkwo is seen as an ascending player, whose best NFL seasons are ahead of him. His skill set is often described as a “jumbo wide receiver” rather than a traditional blocking tight end, making him a versatile weapon who can move around the offensive formation. Because of his speed and size, he is best used to challenge linebackers and safeties, creating mismatches in coverage.
NFL Draft
In our second question ths week, we simply asked what the top draft need is, by position, for the Commanders, offerering a choice of 9 positions.
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The top two answers were not surprising; 71% of respondents identified receiver and cornerback as the biggest needs for Washington, with about 4 out of 10 respondents choosing the offensive side of the ball and about 3 out of 10 opting for the defensive position.
Edge
It speaks to how fans perceive the free agent class that edge rusher — seen as the team’s greatest need before free agency began, secured only 6% of the vote in this survey.
The acquisition of Oweh, discussed above, and K’Lavon Chaisson, who signed a 1 year, $11m contract, are seen as strong additions to the edge rusher group.
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Also, with the expected scheme change, the interior pass rush and complex blitz packages are likely to be more critical and more effective than they were under former defensive coordinator Joe Whitt. So, the additions of Chenal at LB and the versatile Charles Omenihu along with Tim Settle along with returning players like Daron Payne, Javon Kinlaw and Johnny Newton become part of the calculus in weighing up positional need, and deciding that edge rusher is now well down the list.
Let’s be clear: this is not a referendum on which position should be filled with the 7th pick in the draft. GM Adam Peters has raised the floor enough on every position group that he should be free to take the best player available when it is the Commanders turn to pick. If that player is an edge rusher, the current roster makeup shouldn’t deter Peters from making that selection and adding youth and elite potential to the group, and there are several possibilities for edge guys that could be picked in the top-10.
Saftey & off-the-ball linebacker
Likewise, the safety and LB groups can be strengthened in the draft if an elite player like Caleb Downs or Sonny Styles is available when Washington is on the clock. However, the signing of Nick Cross and Leo Chenal in March took a little of the heat out of these two potential positions of need in Apriil’s draft.
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Center
One of the obvious needs on the depth chart is at center. The reason it polled as low as it did is that fans seemed resigned to the idea that, if there’s no better option by training camp, Nick Allegretti is probably ‘good enough’, especially if Washington uses a Day 3 draft pick to add a rookie who can compete with and develop alongside of Allegretti.
John Keim and others have reported repeatedly that Washington pursued Tyler Linderbaum, but were simply out-bid by the Raiders, who had the cap space and the will to pay the veteran center whatever it took to secure his services.
At this point, there are perhaps 9 veteran centers available in free agency, including former Commanders 2023 3rd round draft pick, Ricky Stromberg, who has only 23 career NFL snaps, all of them with the Commanders in 2023. Thank you again, Ron Rivera.
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Most of the available free agent veteran centers are mere backups, but two names stood out to me — both, however, come with significant issues.
Ethan Pocic is 31 years old and has 97 career starts with the Seahawks (5 seasons) and Browns (4 sasons). He tore his Achilles tendon in December. The most optimistic timeline would probably see him return to play around the start of the ‘26 season, probably spending the entire offseason on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list. It seems more likely that he won’t actually be ready until later in the season — if he ever recovers at all.
The other veteran free agent who has significant starting experience is Andre James, who started 59 games for the Raiders from 2021 to 2024. He was cut by the Raiders at the end of the ‘24 season when Las Vegas replaced both GM and head coach.
James had missed several games in ‘24 with an ankle injury; his release was driven by injury, performance and cap savings. James spent the entire ‘25 season backing up Bradley Bozeman, who abruptly retired from the NFL in late February. It seems significant that the Chargers signed last year’s Commanders starter, Tyler Biadasz, to a $10m/yr contract while not extending James.
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Wide receiver
The hole at wide receiver — the need that was identified by the most respondents — is obvious. The Commanders need a versatile playmaker to line up opposite Terry McLaurin — ideally a player with both size and speed who is young enough to develop and ‘replace’ McLaurin’s ability and leadership when time inevitably takes Scary Terry off the roster.
I suspect every regular reader of Hogs Haven is well aware of the complex circumstances that surround the situation with 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk.
Whether the Commanders eventually sign Aiyuk or not, they likely need to grab a talented receiver in the draft, with the player most often discussed as a 1st round possibility being Ohio State receiver Carnell Tate.
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As with the center position, John Keim and others reported that the Commanders had strong interest in Alec Pierce, who never actually reached free agency, re-signing with the Colts just before the start of the new year. Likewise, it was reported that Adam Peters pursued Romeo Doubs, but the receiver eventually decided to sign with the Patriots.
Having failed to secure a top free agent, the Washington front office opted to raise the floor a bit by bringing back former Washington receiver Dyami Bown, who spent the ‘24 season in Jacksonville, and journeyman receiver Van Jefferson, who spent 2024 with the Titans. Earlier in the offseason, Washington inked Treylon Burks to an extension. With these players, Terry McLaurin, Luke McCaffrey and Jaylin Lane, the team has depth at WR — which is supplemented somewhat by the skills of TE Chig Okonkwo and RB Rachaad White — but the Commanders absolutely need another immediate talent in the room with long-term potential.
Cornerback
The cornerback group got a bit of reinforcement late this week when Ahkello Witherspoon was signed as the Commanders most recent free agent addition. Most respondents to our survey answered before his signing was reported, but I doubt if his addition would have changed any minds. Witherspoon is on a one-year contract that is almost certainly for minimum dollars.
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Like the receivers mentioned above, the signing of Witherspoon helps establish the floor for the CB group and adds to the depth, but with Marshon Lattimore never having panned out as the valuable addition Adam Peters hoped he would be when the Commanders traded for him, the defense needs a talented corner to line up opposite Trey Amos.
With Mikey Sainristil returning and Amik Robertson added in free agency, Washington should be set with versatile slot corners, but a long corner with good skills would be a welcome addition. The player most often discussed in relation to the 7th overall pick is Monsoor Delane, but it’s possible that the Commanders could end up with a player like Malik Muhammad or Chris Johnson in the 3rd round if they use the 7th overall pick at another position.