When a team has staggering success in their first year of a rebuild, they are left at something of a crossroads the following offseason. They can choose to spend immediately improve the roster through free agency, or continue their patient built into a consistent winner.
The Washington Commanders chose to go in an alternate route following their shocking run to the NFC Championship game last year.
Washington focused on acquiring aging talent this offseason to fit with their history 2024 rookie class including reigning offensive rookie of the year quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Players like left tackle Laremy Tunsil or wide receiver Deebo Samuel were acquired in trades with the expectations their stardom would rub off on the rest of the offense and team in general.
Was that the right move, though?
Rebuilding teams come and go rather quickly in the modern NFL. A great example of that was the 2022 New York Giants.
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Washington's rival in the division won nine games during the 2022 season and reached the NFC playoffs and even won a road playoff game before bowing out in a blowout to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Instead of following their slow approach to a rebuild, the Giants went all-in on the previous core only to find themselves pulling along an even worse rebuild later on. New York hasn't recovered since.
Washington will need to be careful they don't end up like New York. They too were a team that won many one-score games last season. Much like New York, they chose to add aging veterans to the roster.
Time will tell if it ends up being the right decision at the end of the day.
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This story was originally published March 21, 2025 at 10:00 PM.