If you were hoping for a quiet January in D.C., I've got some bad news. The Washington Commanders just wrapped up a 5-12 season that felt more like a trip to the ER than a football campaign. Honestly, calling it a "step back" is being polite. After that magical run to the NFC Championship game just a year ago, the 2025-2026 season was basically a masterclass in what happens when your franchise pillars start breaking down physically.
It’s rough out there.
The biggest headline in any Washington Commanders injury update right now is obviously Jayden Daniels. Our reigning 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year played only seven games this past season. Seven. That’s it. He spent more time in a baseball cap on the sidelines than he did under center. Between a knee sprain in Week 2, a hamstring tweak in Week 7, and that final, gruesome elbow injury against the Seahawks in Week 9, the kid just couldn't catch a break.
The Jayden Daniels Situation: Rebuilding from the Ground Up
When Dan Quinn shut Daniels down for the final three games of the season, it wasn't just a medical decision. It was a "save the franchise" decision. The team was already 4-10. There was zero point in putting a hobbled 24-year-old back out there behind a line that was essentially held together by duct tape and prayers.
Daniels himself said it best: he’s focusing on "rebuilding from the ground up."
But here is the twist you might have missed. Even though he’s technically "out" for the 2025 NFL season, he’s already been spotted on the 2026 calendar. Tom Brady recently announced Daniels as a team captain for a flag football classic in Saudi Arabia this coming March. If he’s healthy enough to headline an international event in two months, that’s a massive win for his recovery timeline. It suggests that the elbow—which looked pretty gnarly when he first went down—is healing ahead of schedule.
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Still, you have to wonder if the Commanders’ coaching staff is going to have to change his playstyle. You can’t have your franchise QB taking those kinds of hits in garbage time. Quinn even admitted that Daniels probably shouldn't have been in the game when that final elbow injury happened. That’s a tough pill for fans to swallow.
The Trenches Are a Mess
If you thought the QB situation was stressful, don't look at the offensive line. It’s a literal disaster zone.
By the time Week 18 rolled around against the Eagles, the Commanders were missing almost every key starter.
- Tyler Biadasz: Currently on IR with a knee and ankle injury from Christmas Day.
- Laremy Tunsil: Dealing with a stubborn oblique injury that kept him out of the finale.
- Sam Cosmi: On IR with a concussion.
- Brandon Coleman: Limping through a knee issue.
Basically, the "makeshift" line we saw at the end of the year was a look at the depth chart's floor, not its ceiling. Seeing Nick Allegretti move to center and Andrew Wylie sliding to guard was... interesting? But it's not a long-term solution. General Manager Adam Peters has the most salary cap space in the league heading into the 2026 offseason, and he’s going to need every penny of it to rebuild this protection unit.
Defensive Struggles and the IR List
The defense didn't fare much better. They allowed nearly 400 yards a game. Part of that is talent, sure, but the injury bug bit deep on that side of the ball too.
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- Marshon Lattimore: His season ended way back in November with an ACL tear. That’s a huge hole in the secondary that they never really filled.
- Dorance Armstrong: Another ACL/Knee victim on IR since October.
- Eddie Goldman: Shut down in December after multiple concussions.
It's actually kind of wild how many "questionable for the start of training camp" designations are currently on the roster. We’re talking about a six-to-nine-month recovery window for half the starting lineup.
What This Means for the 2026 Draft
Because of this Washington Commanders injury update, the draft strategy has to pivot. We used to think maybe they’d go for a flashy wide receiver to help Terry McLaurin (who, by the way, also battled a quad issue most of the year). Now? It’s all about the "boring" picks.
They need pass rushers. They need linebackers who can actually stay on the field. Bobby Wagner is a legend, but he was resting his knee every other Wednesday just to make it to Sunday. You can't build a future on 35-year-old knees.
The good news is that the 5-12 record gave Washington some decent draft capital. They have six picks, though only two are in the first four rounds. Peters has his work cut out for him. He has to balance signing healthy veterans who can actually finish a 17-game season with drafting young talent that doesn't have an "injury prone" label from college.
Real Talk: Is 2026 Already in Jeopardy?
A lot of people are panicked. I get it. When your star QB misses 60% of the season, it’s easy to feel like the window is closing. But look at the bright side: Marcus Mariota proved he’s a top-tier backup. He threw for 1,600 yards and 10 scores while Daniels was out. He kept them competitive, even when the roster was a shell of itself.
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Also, the emergence of Jacory "Bill" Croskey-Merritt was a legitimate silver lining. A seventh-round rookie putting up over 800 yards? That doesn't happen often. If he can fix the fumbling issues, he takes a massive load off Daniels’ shoulders next year.
The medical staff is going to be the most important part of this organization for the next six months. If they can get Tunsil, Biadasz, and Daniels back to 100% by July, the Commanders are a playoff-caliber team again. If these injuries linger into the summer, well... we might be looking at another long autumn in Landover.
Actionable Steps for the Commanders Offseason
The team can't just hope for better luck. Luck isn't a strategy. Here is what needs to happen:
- Aggressive O-Line Investment: Use that league-leading cap space to sign at least two proven, durable starters on the offensive line. No more "makeshift" units.
- New Defensive Leadership: Joe Whitt Jr. lost his play-calling duties for a reason. Whether Quinn takes over or they bring in a new DC, the scheme needs to protect the players they actually have left.
- Daniels' Training Regimen: The QB has to get stronger. He called his injuries "freak accidents," but at some point, you have to build the frame to withstand those accidents.
- Depth, Depth, Depth: Use the middle rounds of the draft to find "glue players"—the guys who might not be stars but can play 15+ games without a stint on the IR.
The fans deserve a team that stays on the grass. 2025 was a nightmare, but the blueprint for 2026 is actually pretty clear: get healthy, buy protection, and let Jayden be Jayden.
Next Steps for 2026 Success
- Monitor the Saudi Flag Football Event: Keep an eye on how Jayden Daniels moves in March. It will be our first real look at his elbow's range of motion in a competitive environment.
- Watch the Cap Casualties: Washington has the money to swoop in when other teams have to cut expensive veterans. This is where they find their 2026 starters.
- Prioritize the Medical Re-evaluations: The March medical check-ins for Lattimore and Armstrong will determine if Washington needs to hunt for a CB1 or an Edge rusher in the first round of the draft.