The Washington Commanders, despite having one of the best young quarterbacks in the game, do not in fact have a very young roster at this point.
Washington has used the early start of their rebuild under the Adam Peters regime to bring in veterans who have plenty of experience at the NFL level. Part of that reality is due to the team's poor draft history over the last few years.
How bad is it?
Well, in a study done by The Athletic's Ben Standig, the Commanders offseason plan to acquire aging talent makes more sense by the day.
"Of Washington's 33 draft selections from 2020 to 2023, eight remain with the organization, and five are starters/rotation pieces. Dyami Brown and Benjamin St-Juste, 2021 draft picks, played extensively last season before signing elsewhere in free agency, but their careers were mainly underwhelming," Standig said. "Not only were there scant extension-worthy players, but a leadership void existed. Enter 30-somethings Bobby Wagner, Zach Ertz and Marcus Mariota, and experienced veteran Austin Ekeler.
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"More of that this offseason with ex-New England Patriots Jonathan Jones and Wise. Eventually, the core and culture will be standard. While being established, been there, done that players can help get Washington where it wants to go."
Washington brought in veterans like Deebo Samuel and Laremy Tunsil to go along with an aging roster like Wagner and Ekeler.
If the Commanders can stay healthy, they should have no problem repeating their success from last season. That is a very tall order to ask with the roster as old as they are, though.
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This story was originally published March 31, 2025 at 7:56 AM.