How does the Washington Commanders‘ roster stack up against the rest of the NFL? After coming off a surprising 12-win season and an appearance in the NFC championship game, the Commanders had a long to-do list this offseason. General manager Adam Peters checked off as many of those needs as possible, and Washington’s roster is in much better shape now than it was a year ago. And it’s more than just quarterback Jayden Daniels.

When Ron Rivera was fired after the 2023 season, the Commanders’ roster was barren. It was scary bad at four premium positions: quarterback, left tackle, cornerback and edge rusher. Fortunately, Rivera was so bad at drafting that he gave Peters and new head coach Dan Quinn a gift with the No. 2 overall pick. The Commanders used it to select Daniels and it paid immediate dividends.

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Since arriving in Washington in January 2024, Peters has done a masterful job at rebuilding the aforementioned premium positions. This offseason, he added five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil and spent a first-round pick on offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr. Suddenly, Washington’s offensive tackle position looked much better. Those moves allowed him to move another rookie star last season, Brandon Coleman, inside to guard, improving three different OL positions in one offseason.

Peters drafted cornerback Mike Sainristil in the second round last season, and he was excellent as a rookie. Later in the season, Washington traded draft picks to the New Orleans Saints for four-time Pro Bowl CB Marshon Lattimore. While Lattimore didn’t look like himself in his brief Washington stint, he was dealing with a hamstring injury. This offseason, he used a second-round pick on cornerback Trey Amos.

Peters also brought in wide receiver Deebo Samuel to pair with Terry McLaurin, giving the Commanders an outstanding 1-2 punch.

So, how does Washington’s roster stack up with the other 31 NFL teams?

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ESPN recently ranked all 32 rosters, with categories of biggest strength, biggest weakness, X-Factor and nonstarter to know. The Commanders were ranked as the NFL’s seventh-best roster.

Biggest strength: Off-ball linebacker. It was tempting to pick Jayden Daniels and the quarterbacks, but the terrific Bobby Wagner/Frankie Luvu duo is too good to pass up. Wagner is entering his age-35 season, but he has shown almost no signs of drop-off, ranking in the top 10 among off-ball LBs in pass rush wins, tackles for loss and QB hits last season. Luvu is the only NFL player with 250-plus tackles and 20.0-plus sacks over the past three seasons. (He has 335 and 21.0, respectively.) The duo combined to play 98.2% of Washington’s defensive snaps last season.

Biggest weakness: Safety. It was a toss-up between this and edge rusher, but Luvu’s pass-rushing contributions pushed me toward safety. Jeremy Chinn is gone and set to be replaced by journeyman Will Harris, who will work opposite Quan Martin. Percy Butler is returning as competition at the position, too. None of these players posted a quality PFF grade in recent seasons.

ESPN named Lattimore as the X-Factor, which has been a consistent theme this offseason. Meanwhile, wide receiver Luke McCaffrey was named the nonstarter to know.

By the end of this season, the offensive line could be Washington’s strength. However, the group has yet to play together. So, off-ball linebacker is the right choice. Peters also deserves credit for taking what was probably the worst linebacking unit in the NFL in 2023 to arguably the best last season.

As for safety, Chinn’s loss is something people should not overlook. He was solid in his only season in Washington. Harris offers similar traits, but isn’t quite the same athlete as Chinn. Martin is so good, and getting better, that he may ensure that safety isn’t Washington’s biggest weakness. Percy Butler and Tyler Owens could also get a look.

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In one offseason, Peters transformed one of the NFL’s worst rosters into a top-10 unit. Fantastic work. The acquisition of Daniels covers up some things because he is an elite talent at the most important position in sports.

This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: ESPN ranks Commanders as one of the NFL’s top rosters