{"id":854410,"date":"2026-04-05T02:31:49","date_gmt":"2026-04-05T02:31:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/854410\/"},"modified":"2026-04-05T02:31:49","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T02:31:49","slug":"2-players-commanders-must-avoid-picking-in-2026-nfl-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/854410\/","title":{"rendered":"2 players Commanders must avoid picking in 2026 NFL Draft"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s a different kind of pressure building in Washington. And well, it\u2019s the good kind. The Commanders have a quarterback worth building around and a front office with a plan. They have a roster that, at the very least, looks competitive on paper. Of course, with progress comes expectation, and expectation sharpens every decision. With that, the 2026 NFL Draft<\/a> is about acceleration. It\u2019s about surrounding Jayden Daniels with the right pieces while resisting the urge to fall back into old habits. Because for a franchise that has too often chased the wrong priorities, the biggest win this April might come from the players they don\u2019t pick.<\/p>\n

Shift in identity\"\"Nov 2, 2025; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders<\/a> quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) runs the ball during the second half against the Seattle Seahawks at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Washington entered the 2026 NFL Free Agency hoping to fix the defense and provide Jayden Daniels with enough protection<\/a> to actually let him cook. GM Adam Peters didn’t waste any time. He aggressively reshaped the front seven by landing Odafe Oweh<\/a> to lead the pass rush. They also added Leo Chenal to the middle of the defense and brought in Nick Cross to solidify the secondary. The defensive overhaul was complemented by a series of strategic retentions on the offensive side. This ensured that the core of the team remains intact while adding the necessary \u201cjuice\u201d to compete on Sundays.<\/p>\n

This was not a reckless spending spree. It was calculated, targeted, and rooted in identity-building. Washington didn\u2019t just want better players. They wanted a different personality on defense: faster, more aggressive, and less forgiving.<\/p>\n

Stability not explosiveness<\/p>\n

On the offensive side of the ball, the priority was continuity and veteran leadership. Re-signing Laremy Tunsil to a massive extension was perhaps the most critical \u201cget\u201d of the entire spring. The return of Chris Paul and Andrew Wylie further stabilized an offensive line that finally started to show signs of cohesion late last year. Sure, the Commanders were linked to several big-name wideouts. However, they opted for a more measured approach. They added depth<\/a> with players like Ahkello Witherspoon on the defensive side and a handful of rotational pieces on offense.<\/p>\n

That restraint says a lot. Washington believes in its foundation, but it also reveals what\u2019s missing. This offense can function, but it doesn\u2019t yet scare anyone. It can sustain drives, but it doesn\u2019t consistently flip games.<\/p>\n

Identifying the biggest need<\/p>\n

Despite the defensive influx, the Commanders still find themselves staring at a significant void in their playmaking department. Terry McLaurin<\/a> is still \u201cScary Terry,\u201d and Luke McCaffrey has shown flashes of brilliance. That said, the offense lacks a true, explosive home-run threat who can take the lid off a defense or turn a simple screen into a 60-yard score. The 2026 NFL season will be defined by how well the Commanders can diversify their attack. That starts with finding either a game-changing running back or a high-ceiling vertical threat at receiver. Yes, the trenches have been addressed through extensions and free agency. Still, the lack of an elite, young skill-position star is the one thing holding this offense back.<\/p>\n

Pass on Dillon Thieneman<\/p>\n

Dillon Thieneman is the kind of player that evaluators love. Smart, instinctive, and productive, he plays with the awareness of a veteran. His range in the secondary is undeniable. His ability to diagnose plays makes him one of the more intriguing defensive prospects in the class.<\/p>\n

For Washington, though, he\u2019s the wrong answer to the wrong question. The Commanders have already invested in their secondary. Cross was brought in to stabilize the back end, and there are already multiple young pieces in place competing for snaps. Adding Thieneman would create redundancy rather than resolution.<\/p>\n

More importantly, it would ignore the offense. This is a team that has struggled for years to consistently support its quarterback. Now that they have a player like Daniels, the priority must be maximizing that environment. Drafting a safety, no matter how talented, does nothing to elevate the offense\u2019s ceiling.<\/p>\n

Washington has been down this road before \u2014 investing heavily in defense while hoping the offense figures itself out. It rarely ends well. Passing on Thieneman isn\u2019t about doubting his talent. It\u2019s about finally learning from history.<\/p>\n

Steering clear of Rueben Bain Jr.\"IndianaKim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Rueben Bain Jr. represents misdirection. On tape, Bain is everything you want in a defensive lineman. He has the kind of physical profile that suggests immediate contribution. For a team looking to strengthen its front, he\u2019s an appealing option.<\/p>\n

Washington, however, has already addressed that need. The addition of Oweh and the development of the existing defensive line have created a unit that is, at the very least, functional. It may not be elite, but it\u2019s no longer a glaring weakness. Spending another high pick in that area just duplicates effort.<\/p>\n

Bain\u2019s skill set also raises questions about fit. While he excels in power situations, he doesn\u2019t necessarily bring the kind of elite edge-bending speed that modern defenses rely on. Also, more critically, Bain does not move the needle for the offense. Adding another defensive lineman, even a talented one, does little to help Washington in those shootout scenarios.<\/p>\n

This is where discipline comes in. Bain might be one of the best players available when Washington is on the clock. But \u201cbest available\u201d is not always \u201cbest fit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Clarity and courage<\/p>\n

The Commanders have done the hard part, which is building a foundation and identifying their quarterback. Now comes the challenge of alignment.<\/p>\n

Avoiding players like Dillon Thieneman and Rueben Bain Jr is about understanding timing and direction. It\u2019s about committing fully to a vision that prioritizes offensive explosiveness over defensive redundancy.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a different kind of pressure building in Washington. And well, it\u2019s the good kind. The Commanders have a quarterback worth building around and a front office with a plan. They have a roster that, at the very least, looks competitive on paper. Of course, with progress comes expectation, and expectation sharpens every decision.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There\u2019s a different kind of pressure building in Washington. And well, it\u2019s the good kind. The Commanders have…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":854411,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2069],"tags":[427,18731,7,6,15,18732,7186,855,111,2480],"class_list":{"0":"post-854410","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-washington-commanders","8":"tag-commanders","9":"tag-editorials","10":"tag-football","11":"tag-nfl","12":"tag-nfl-draft","13":"tag-nfl-editorials","14":"tag-terry-mclaurin","15":"tag-washington","16":"tag-washington-commanders","17":"tag-washingtoncommanders"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116349761220415702","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/854410","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=854410"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/854410\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/854411"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=854410"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=854410"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=854410"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}