The Washington Commanders‘ 2025 season was practically the polar opposite of how their 2024 season turned out. After making the playoffs and reaching the NFC Championship for the first time in over 30 years, the Commanders hit a brick wall. Jayden Daniels spent much of the season battling various injuries, the defense was riddled with injuries, and the rotational pieces didn’t (or couldn’t) step up.

That season led the Commanders to fire Kliff Kingsbury and Joe Whitt, bringing in David Blough and Daronte Adams (respectively) as their replacements. Then came free agency, where Adam Peters hit the ground hard to improve what was one of the league’s worst defenses in 2025. They continued that in the draft, while adding some offensive pieces, they hope will be enough to get this team back on track.

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Recently, Bleacher Report examined 12 teams that could be contenders in 2026. They did not include teams at the bottom of the league, such as the Tennessee Titans and Las Vegas Raiders (among others), nor the 2025 playoff teams. Instead, they looked at teams that missed the postseason in 2025 and have aspirations of avoiding that in 2026. At the end of their assessment, they determined if a team was real (buying) or pretending (selling). Here’s what they said about the Commanders:

While the New England Patriots were going from also-ran to the AFC title last year, the Washington Commanders were hurtling in the opposite direction.

After winning 12 games and making the NFC Championship Game in 2024, an injury-ravaged Commanders squad went 5-12 in 2025.

Much of the reason for that collapse was the NFL’s worst defense, and the team went hard at that situation in the offseason.

Rookie linebacker Sonny Styles takes over for Bobby Wagner inside after being drafted seventh overall, and Washington spent big in free agency on the pass rush with the addition of edge-rushers Odafe Oweh and K’Lavon Chaisson. Safety Nick Cross and cornerback Amik Robertson were signed to bolster a bad pass defense.

Offensively, the team spent a Day 2 pick on wideout Antonio Williams, who the Commanders hope will step up as a complement to Terry McLaurin. But an average offensive line didn’t get much better, and the skill-position talent around quarterback Jayden Daniels isn’t especially imposing.

In an NFC East that is shaping up to be a much harder division in 2026, the Commanders have a better chance of finishing last than first.

Verdict: Pretender (Sell)

The Commanders didn’t change much along the offensive line because that wasn’t the problem in 2025. The consensus among those who rank teams is that the Commanders’ offensive line is good, maybe not elite, although left tackle Laremy Tunsil is elite. Locking in Tunsil was the biggest thing that needed to happen, and Peters did that. The skill positions didn’t necessarily deliver what fans hoped for, but it’s certainly not worse than in 2025.

The defense, on the other hand, saw a complete overhaul. Plus, some of the injured players from 2025 are still with the team and will be highly impactful in 2026.

The author of the article is right about one thing: football games aren’t played on paper. They’re played on the field by human beings with emotions, adrenaline, drive, and determination. Should the Commanders find a receiver who can take the pressure off Terry McLaurin? Absolutely. And maybe third-round pick Antonio Williams is that guy. Or, maybe Washington isn’t done adding to its roster.

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But pretenders? Not a chance.

This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: One outlet says they’ll be ‘pretenders’ in 2026