The Washington Commanders have finally reached their bye week at last. And as head coach Dan Quinn stated to the media after his team's dismal loss to the Miami Dolphins in Madrid, it's much needed.
Quinn revealed that everyone is depleted, and it's not just the players and coaches. That goes for fans, too. It's been an arduous, draining campaign that promised much but has fallen by the wayside. The Commanders are 3-8 when most were anticipating another postseason run. And it's not hard to see why attention is already turning to what promises to be a pivotal offseason for general manager Adam Peters.
Peters ran it back with the large majority of the squad that reached the NFC Championship game in 2024. He made two bold splashes in the trade market, but this was the NFL's oldest roster heading into the campaign. That blew up in the front-office leader's face, and although injuries haven't helped their cause, it's clear that massive changes are coming to the playing personnel.
The Commanders have more than 30 players out of contract next spring. They should have over $100 million in available salary-cap space, but there is a lot of hard work ahead. And with only six draft picks at Peters' disposal, not every problem will be solved.
With that being said, the fates of some players are already looking bleak. Here are seven Commanders who definitely won't be back in 2026.
Commanders players who definitely won't be back in 2026 at the bye week
Austin Ekeler - Commanders RB
The Washington Commanders were counting on running back Austin Ekeler to provide a stable veteran presence this season. Adam Peters saw enough in his younger backfield options to trade Brian Robinson Jr. to the San Francisco 49ers before the deadline. Unfortunately, things took a concerning turn early on.
Ekeler went down in Week 2 against the Green Bay Packers. The news was demoralizing, with the dual-threat weapon tearing his Achilles to rule him out for the rest of 2025.
The former Western Colorado standout isn't planning on retirement. Ekeler is working hard to get healthy again, and he's confident that this issue will make him even stronger. But with the veteran out of contract next spring, and the Commanders' need to get younger across the board, it seems unlikely that he'll get another deal in Washington.
Ekeler's presence has been sorely missed this season. But given his age, injuries, and concussion history, he'll probably get the green light to take his chances elsewhere.