Rating each position on Commanders’ roster heading into 2026 NFL training camp

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Rating each position on Commanders’ roster heading into 2026 NFL training camp

Douglas Fritz, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Tue, Jun 30, 2026 ·

7 min read

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Rating each position on Commanders' roster heading into 2026 NFL training camp appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .

The Washington Commanders have big question marks as they head toward the 2026 season. And they have serious offensive shortcomings . But what about the overall roster? We will rate every position on the Commanders' roster as the team approaches training camp.

It won't be long before the team hits the field. Rookies will report to Ashburn, Virginia, for camp on July 24. Veterans are scheduled to check in on July 28. The Commanders' first practice will take place on July 29.

But barring any preseason moves, which are certainly possible, here are our ratings. They are based on a scale of 1 (abysmal) to 10 (NFL best).

Quarterback

With Jayden Daniels , the Commanders have that boom-bust situation. In the boom format, Daniels stays healthy. That's the main thing. If he does that and improves even a little from his rookie season in 2024, the Commanders will have a legitimate chance to win every single week.

Unfortunately, you can't rate a quarterback without considering what's around him. The only elite player on the offense other than Daniels is left tackle Laremy Tunsil . That's a good starting point, but not nearly enough.

Daniels will have to be a magician at times to give the Commanders' offense a chance to stay on the field.

Behind Daniels are Marcus Mariota , Athan Kaliakmanis, and Sam Hartman . Mariota is one of the NFL's top backups. And he fits perfectly into the Commanders' scheme. If the team needs him for a game or two or three, he might be good enough to help them steal at least one win.

So with Daniels being among the NFL's best and Mariota tracking as a top-five backup, this group gets a very high mark.

Rating: 9.3

Running back

Oh, those crazy Commanders front office folks. Wouldn't it have been fun to sit in on the meeting when they decided what to do with the backfield for the 2026 season? Maybe I could have been the guy to speak reason: You really want to hang your playoff hat on a seventh-round draft pick, a retread plodder, a sixth-round rookie, and an average veteran?

It needed to be said. Why wasn't it said? And yet, here the Commanders stand.

Jacory Crockett-Merritt could be decent. His late-round draft selection won't prohibit him from becoming an adequate NFL back. And he averaged 4.6 yards per carry as a rookie last year. But he had some terrible games, including 32 attempts for 96 yards over three weeks against the Seahawks, Lions, and Dolphins. Yep. Ninety-six yards total in three games.

As for Rachaad White , the Commanders get what they get. He's 27 years old, unexciting as a runner, and capable as a pass catcher.

Say what you want about rookie Kaytron Allen . But it's hard to see him making a big impact. He's physical and could play a decent backup role. Meanwhile, Jerome Ford seems unlikely to factor into any non-injury scenario.

Rating: 4.5

Wide Receiver

This group is just as perplexing as the running back group. The Commanders are basically banking their season on one guy meeting his pay grade and three guys producing way above their salaries.

Terry McLaurin is a highly paid WR1. He might get WR1 numbers by sheer volume alone. But remember this: Even in the three seasons where he got 130-plus targets, McLaurin barely edged past 1,000 yards. And his TD totals were 4, 5, and 4.

Now, he had 13 scores in Daniels' rookie season. So there's hope. But remember that 2026 will be McLaurin's age-31 season. He's already past the cliff. Can he remain a top-15 NFL receiver?

After McLaurin, the Commanders have problems. Luke McCaffrey has shown next to nothing in two NFL seasons. Antonio Williams is a third-round rookie. Treylon Burks has never even scratched the surface of his first-round potential.

After those guys, the Commanders have Jaylin Lane , Dyami Brown , Van Jefferson , Jacoby Jones, Nick Nash, Jayden Bradley, and Chris Hilton Jr. The ceilings are so low you have to duck to enter.

Rating: 3.1

Tight end

At least there is a little hope here. Chig Okonkwo could be a surprisingly good addition. But it's just a hope at this point. It's not because he displayed it on the field in four seasons with the Titans.

He brings a 70-catch, rare-TD resume to a team that needs more of a scoring threat from the tight end position.

John Bates is a top-notch blocker and gives the group a one-point rating boost. Meanwhile, Ben Sinnott has produced two nearly invisible NFL seasons.

Rating: 5.8

Offensive tackle

One of the best things the Commanders have going is their tackle positions. Tunsil is one of the NFL's best. That's a lock on the left side.

On the right side, Josh Conerly Jr. needs to show he's as good as his potential suggests. If he is, the Commanders have a top-10 tackle duo.

Brandon Coleman is a good backup. Nothing but question marks after that.

Rating: 8.8

Guard

The Commanders can claim to be solid here. Sam Cosmi can be a top-10 guard in the league. His Pro Football Focus numbers in 2025 support it with a mark of 76.3.

But Chris Paul (49.5) isn't really starter material. Andrew Wylie doesn't offer much comfort as a key backup.

Rating: 6.5

Center

This is a problem area for the Commanders. It's not that Nick Allegretti is doomed to failure. But there are red flags. He's 30 years old and a career guard. Not a center. And even though he started 17 ga mes at guard for the Commanders in 2024, that accounts for half of his career starting assignments in a seven-year journey.

Furthermore, his PFF rating of 42.3 doesn't inspire any confidence. The backups are Matt Gulbin and Julian Good-Jones.

At least Allegretti is excited about things , according to wjla.com.

"Center's been my position, kind of my whole life," said Allegretti. "My opportunities have come at guard, so that's where I took advantage of those opportunities. But I love center. I love the mental side of that game."

Rating: 3.4

Defensive interior

With Daron Payne still anchoring the middle, the Commanders are solid at that point. Still, his 60.8 PFF score suggests his better days are behind him. He begins his ninth NFL season at age 29 and has one Pro Bowl appearance.

Tim Settle is another strong point. He brings a good rating of 71.5. There's potential for him to make it a good one-two punch. However, Javon Kinlaw is a different story. The Commanders overpaid for him, and everybody except General Manager Adam Peters knew it.

Still, there is hope that Jer'Zhan Newton will take a step forward this year. Perhaps he can supplant Kinlaw in the starting lineup.

Rating: 6.7

Inside linebacker

This is where the Commanders' defense could shine. Yes, that's putting a lot on the plate of a rookie, but Sonny Styles could be that guy, according to Commanders.com. So far, the Commanders love him.

"He has hit all the marks that you can at this time of year," head coach Dan Quinn said. "The knowledge, the intensity to go for it. Man, are we pumped with him.

"He has absolutely nailed all the markers up to now. And we'll kind of continue that as we get into training camp. But he's off to a hell of a start."

Added to the mix is Leo Chenal . His PFF rating of 75.3 gives the Commanders a chance to have a dynamic duo in the middle. And if Frankie Luvu reverts to his 2024 game, there's depth, too.

Rating: 8.9

Edge rusher

Big question: Will Odafe Oweh and K'Lavon Chaisson give the Commanders the edge-rushing presence they desperately missed last year? Odafe's grade of 75.5 suggests he could be that guy. And he did have a 10-sack season with the Ravens in 2024.

Chaisson has more to prove. But he collected 7.5 sacks with just 10 starting assignments for the Patriots last year.

Veteran Dorance Armstrong and rookie Josha Josephs will be counted on for depth. Charles Omenihu and Javontae Jean-Baptiste could also figure into the mix. And there's a chance Luvu might line up outside some.

Overall, this group has good potential.

Rating: 7.2

Cornerback

This has long been a Commanders weakness. Will Trey Amos emerge this year and give the Commanders some backbone at this position? Can Mike Sanristil become a full-time outside cornerback? Will Amik Robertson add to the mix what the Commanders need?

The PFF ratings for these guys say no. Amos' 55.8 is the best of the lot. However, Amos also has the highest ceiling. Amos is healthy, but the Commanders need more than a body on the field. They need him to excel.

With a lack of quality depth, the Commanders need this group to be available, too. The rating below reflects what has been shown so far.

Rating: 5.0

Safety

It's interesting to see Nick Cross and Quan Martin listed as the starters. If you look at the cold numbers from PFF, Jeremy Reaves (63.7) and Percy Butler (69.3) might be better.

So, here's the hope. If Cross and Martin prove they are good enough to start, the Commanders have excellent depth at this position. If not, the depth picture changes, but it's still not bleak.

Rating: 6.2

Place-kicker

Jake Moody isn't an exciting option at this position. His career NFL percentage of 78 is well off the league's standard. A kicker needs to be in the 85% range to be average. Hence, the problem with Moody.

Now, having said that, perhaps his misses are behind him. He went 10 of 11 last year for the Commanders. Earlier in the season, he connected on 8 of 9 for the Bears . He started the year 1 for 3 for the 49ers, and they had seen enough. At that point in his career, he was 65 of 85 for 76%.

It's hard to imagine Moody has found himself and will stay in that 90% range. More than likely, he will be the first of several kickers for the Commanders (again) this year.

Rating: 5.5

Punter

Ah, refreshing. The Commanders have one of the best punters in the league, as Tress Way was a Pro Bowl selection. Right?

Then why did PFF grade him at 44.0, the worst in the league? Who do you believe? Pro Bowl voters or film?

It was Way's third Pro Bowl honor. His others came in 2022, when he ranked 30th in the NFL. The other was 2019, when he received a score of 71.3 for No. 8 in the league.

Take your pick, but the Pro Bowl honor seems to make Way overrated.

Rating: 5.0

Kick returners

The Commanders have McCaffrey to handle kickoff return duties, but Lane is there, too. Lane should be the first option for punt returns. Williams figures into the punt return mix.

This is an interesting group. Lane could be dynamic in either role. And who knows what kind of impact Williams could make. There's hope for this group.

Rating: 7.8

To make things easy, we added all of the ratings and divided by the number of positions. The math came out with:

Overall rating: 6.2.

And that matches what the Commanders plan to put on the field this season. It points to an average season, maybe trending more toward 9-8 or 10-7 instead of 8-9 or 7-10.

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