Commanders extend key versatile veteran after first free agency wave, which helps secure his spot at uncertain position
The Commanders are keeping around one fan-favorite for another year to help keep one position secure for the near future.
The Washington Commanders have been the most active team this offseason, and the moves continue to come for general manager Adam Peters.
After bringing in a lot of new faces, the Commanders kept their own by re-signing key free agents and also extending top players like Laremy Tunsil. The Commanders are extending another veteran by agreeing on a new deal with safety and special teams ace Jeremy Reaves.
Commanders extend Safety Jeremy Reaves
The Commanders have rebuilt their core roster in free agency, but they also knew how important it was to keep current players around as well. Peters still has plenty of money to work with as the Commanders have a top-3 salary cap space remaining, and his first move during the second wave of free agency was extending safety, Jeremy Reaves.
Reaves was already under contract for the 2026 season, but the extension keeps him around for the 2027 season as well, so he won’t have to hit free agency. The Commanders also added safety Nick Cross in free agency, so the room will look a lot different this season, especially if they draft another as well.
Jeremy Reaves’ role for the Commanders in 2026
Reaves played the most defensive snaps of his career in 2025 due to the early injury to Will Harris, and he finished with 708 snaps on defense after playing just five snaps in 2024. He wasn’t perfect, but Reaves did show flashes of attacking the ball, and he was much improved in coverage. Reaves finished with five pass breakups, which was 13th in the NFL, and had an interception to end the season.
His biggest struggle was wrapping up tackles consistently, and he finished with 14 missed tackles and a 15% missed tackle rate. This is where the Commanders need to improve the most, and why Cross was high on their list and is a lock to start over Reaves. The one area Reaves thrives in is on special teams, where he continued to thrive with nine special teams tackles.
The safety room still needs a true free safety who can be a blanket in coverage, which was also a liability for the whole safety room last year. The 2026 NFL Draft has a deep safety class, and it wouldn’t surprise me if the Commanders land one with the No. 71 overall pick. Having depth and experience with Reaves is just as important, and hopefully, the position will be improved in 2026.
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