Jan. 11, 2026, 4:03 a.m. ET

The Washington Commanders need a lot of help this offseason. Much of that help needs to be on the defensive side of the ball, where the Commanders could replace as many as seven starters. Is that an aggressive number? Maybe, but maybe not.

Two things Washington must do this offseason: get younger and faster. General manager Adam Peters acknowledged that in his season-ending press conference last week.

“I think you’re always trying to get younger and faster, and I think that’ll be a big emphasis for us this offseason,” Peters said. He doesn’t say much, so Peters’ public admission tells you everything.

Washington will approach free agency with significant cap space. The expected release of cornerback Marshon Lattimore will add $18 million to the Commanders’ 2026 salary cap. Additionally, extensions for players such as Laremy Tunsil and perhaps Tyler Biadasz could free up even more cap space. Washington will also have decisions to make on its free agents, such as future Hall of Famer Bobby Wagner.

The good news is that there appear to be options in free agency. One is Quay Walker of the Green Bay Packers.

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The No. 22 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft just completed his fourth NFL season with Saturday’s NFC wild-card loss to the Chicago Bears. Walker will be a free agent in March because the Packers didn’t pick up his fifth-year option last spring.

Walker, who is 6-foot-4, 241 pounds, is only 25 years old. He’s the prototype of what an NFL inside linebacker looks like in 2026. The problem with Walker is consistency. That’s why Green Bay declined his fifth-year option. He can look like an All-Pro on one series, and disappear the next. That appeared to improve in 2025, as Walker compiled a career-high 128 tackles, including eight for loss, 2.5 sacks, five passes defensed and seven quarterback hits.

Walker is capable of dominance at times, as we see here from Saturday’s game against the Bears.

Walker would certainly improve Washington’s speed at linebacker. He ran a 4.52-second 40-yard dash ahead of the draft. Wagner continued to play at a high level in 2025, reaching the 2,000-mark in Week 18. However, Wagner’s primary issue was in coverage.

Some bad news regarding Walker: he has coverage issues, too. According to Pro Football Focus, Walker earned a 44.9 coverage grade in 2025. That’s a concern.

Could Washington gamble, hoping that part of Walker’s game improves? After all, he’s only 25.

Much of Walker’s market will depend on price. Walker is the type of talent a smart defensive coordinator could move around. He could be used off the edge as a pass rusher, too. Of course, we still don’t know who Washington’s defensive coordinator will be in 2026. That will be cleared up long before free agency opens in March.

The Commanders only have two picks in the top 100 of April’s 2026 NFL Draft. They’ll need to be aggressive in free agency to fill some holes. While Walker may not be a player you set the market with on Day 1 of free agency, he’s certainly worth keeping on. Whoever signs Walker is betting that he’s entering his prime in 2026.