Sept. 6, 2026, 9:30 a.m. ET

After the Washington Commanders’ organizational implosion under Dan Snyder’s ownership, Josh Harris set out to revamp the entire organization. But he knew he couldn’t do it alone, so he brought in Adam Peters as general manager and Dan Quinn as head coach to help refine the coaching staff and revamp the roster. In 2024, Peters and Quinn did a fantastic job of changing the culture of the Commanders’ locker room and bringing in players who could help the team win games.

Those efforts led to the Commanders’ first appearance in the NFC Championship Game in over 30 years and their first-round draft pick, Jayden Daniels, earning Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. Their second year together wasn’t quite as successful, partly because Peters went after veterans in 2024 and mostly because the team suffered injuries.

In 2026, Peters set out to make the defense younger and faster, and while the offense didn’t change a ton, bringing in veteran Stefon Diggs elevated the weapons that Daniels has to work with this season. With all of the changes and work done during the offseason, how does Peters’ spending compare to the rest of the league? A recent CBS Sports article ranked how much each team spent in 2026 using active cash spending only, and the Commanders surprisingly ranked 15th.

The article says the Commanders will spend $322.0 million on their payroll in 2026, and Over The Cap indicates the Commanders still have the fifth-most cap space open, with $23.8 million remaining to use or roll over into next season.

The Dallas Cowboys ($372.8 million), Seattle Seahawks ($369.7 million), Baltimore Ravens ($362.9 million), Houston Texans ($359.1 million), and Philadelphia Eagles ($357.6 million) were the top five teams in payroll spending in 2026. And since that list includes two additional NFC East teams, we’ll throw the New York Giants in there as well. The Giants ($314.6 million) are spending the least on payroll in the division and rank 18th overall in payroll spending this season.

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Given how much changed for the Commanders this season, it’s impressive that Peters didn’t have to spend more to make those changes happen, and the team still has cap space to work with if an emergency signing is needed.