Chris Paul
Getty
Washington Commanders offensive lineman Chris Paul.
The Washington Commanders are focusing on big-picture issues this offseason after a disastrous 2025 season in which they went 5-12 and ended up firing both offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr.
Those big-picture issues include needing to bring stars onto the roster. Headline-grabbing names who can flip games on both sides of the ball — most notably with a splash free agent signing on defense.
The problem there is that the Commanders risk losing sight of signing key role players who, as a whole, can make just as much of a difference between winning and losing.
One of those moves could be bringing back 6-foot-4, 324-pound veteran offensive lineman Chris Paul, who ESPN put on its list of the top “Sleeper Free Agent” options in 2026 after he started 15 games in 2025.
From ESPN: “(Paul) had 15 starts last season with a powerful style of play; starting guards with a pulse get paid.”
Buying Low Could Pay Off for Commanders
If Paul’s market projection is correct, the Commanders have no excuse for not bringing him back. Spotrac predicts he’s in line for a 2-year, $9.3 million contract, and the franchise should be willing to go up to a 2-year, $10 million deal if it comes down to it.
Paul, a Houston native, is an unusually talented athlete for someone at his position and his size. After playing college football for Tulsa, he ran the 40-yard dash in a (relatively) blazing 4.89 seconds at the NFL scouting combine.
The Commanders selected Paul in the 7th round (No. 230 overall) of the 2022 NFL draft and signed him to a 4-year, $3.76 million contract. Paul’s draft stock was tinged because he was forced to play offensive tackle in college.
“Paul has a guard body but played out of position at tackle over the last two seasons,” NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote in 2022. “There are limited downhill run reps over his last two years at tackle and his guard tape from 2019 is still a little raw, making his guard projection a tad murky. He’s highly intelligent on and off the field. Picking up technique and scheme will not be a problem for him. However, picking up twists and slants might be an issue due to a lack of foot quickness and reactive agility. Paul has the size, strength, football character and toughness to play NFL guard but the limitations could make it a short stay in the league.”
Breakout Season for Chris Paul in 2025
Paul showed little in his first 3 seasons to suggest he was ready for the load he took on in 2025, though the results weren’t as strong as his free-agent projection suggests they might have been.
As a rookie in 2022, Paul only found the field in 1 game, followed by 10 appearances and 7 starts in 2023. He played 6 games with 0 starts in 2024.
In 2025, Paul took over for Brandon Coleman at starting guard and never gave up his spot, reeling off 15 consecutive starts to end the season and playing in all 17 regular-season games for the 1st time in his career.
The result was pretty mixed. According to Pro Football Focus, Paul was one of the NFL’s best guards when it came to pass blocking with a 78.2 grade, but was one of the NFL’s worst guards when it came to run blocking with a 38.2 grade.