Commanders need to make insider’s bold prediction come true if they want a chance at winning the NFC East in 2026
NFL insider predicts fireworks for the Commanders in free agency this offseason, which is exactly what they need.
One can argue that the Washington Commanders are under the most pressure in the 2026 NFL offseason after a 5-12 season, just one year removed from an NFC Championship appearance.
General manager Adam Peters has difficult decisions to make with 32 pending free agents this offseason, and many of them need to be upgraded. The NFL is getting yet another salary cap space boost as well, which will help them retain some of their own players, but they also need to add notable talent in free agency.
One NFL insider says that he expects fireworks for the Commanders in free agency, which is exactly what they need to get back to winning.
NFL insider predicts the Commanders to be heavily active in free agency
The Commanders were very conservative last offseason, which helps them this offseason with a top salary cap rollover, but they have to actually spend it this year. NFL insider Ian Rapoport predicts fireworks and urgency from the Commanders, who will have a top-5 salary cap in the NFL when free agency starts.
“But for the Washington commanders, I wonder how active an off-season they’ll have,” Rapoport said. “Adam Peters has been aggressive. He has made trades, made a couple of big ones last off-season. It is an essential, important year for Washington. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were some fireworks here, just knowing how important it is, how much space they have. The window they have with a good young quarterback, the time to spend is now, and obviously, this is something we are going to be tracking throughout the offseason.”
The Commanders are built for a massive offseason
The Commanders may only have six picks in the NFL Draft, but they have more than enough salary cap space to make impactful signings this offseason. Peters has the Commanders fifth in salary cap space with $75.4 million, and they will have more once they cut cornerback Marshon Lattimore, freeing up another $18.5 million.
They can also extend Laremy Tunsil to create more, and there’s a giant elephant in the room with Daron Payne set to make a team-high $28 million in 2026. The bottom line is that they have plenty of salary cap space to actually be active and can create even more.
They need to replicate the New England Patriots’ approach last season to build around Drake Maye by making two or three big signings, then finding those under-the-radar players who can be big contributors.
This isn’t the deepest free agency group this offseason, which will cause teams to pay players more than the expected amount, especially with the salary cap boost as well. This is great for the Commanders because they have more to spend compared to other teams, but only if they can navigate the free agents on their own team.
The Commanders can be a top spender this offseason
Big-name players like Devin Lloyd are expected to hit the market, and the Commanders could be the team to win the bidding war on him. Cincinnati Bengals EDGE rusher Trey Hendrickson is another name to watch if they decide not to tag him and let him hit the market for a long-term contract, finally. The Commanders were heavily linked to Hendrickson last offseason, and they could throw him a hefty two-year deal to finally address the position.
The Commanders could also sign younger players who could hit the market like Kyle Pitts, Bryan Cook, Boye Mafe, and others, and have no excuse for being outbid. Hopefully, Peters learned his lesson after a disappointing offseason last year and finally builds a winning roster around Jayden Daniels.
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