The defensive side of the ball has all the focus for the Washington Commanders in the 2026 NFL Draft
The order for the 2026 NFL Draft is officially set with the 2025 regular season complete with the Washington Commanders set to pick inside the top ten for the second time in three years.
Now comes the biggest question mark - what is the top priority for the Commanders next April? There are arguably as many questions for the offensive side of the ball as there are for the defense, though for different reasons.
Only two players - Jayden Daniels and Jacory Croskey-Merritt - remain under contract in both the quarterback and running back room in 2026 heading into the offseason, while both the wide receiver and tight end room requires major attention this offseason.
But the Commanders also ended the 2025 season ranked dead last in total yards allowed (384), 29th in run defense (141.8), 28th in passing defense (242.5) and 27th in scoring defense.
After outlets were initially split on a pair of wide receivers, draft projections steadily shifted to the defensive side of the ball with a pair of edge prospects joining Ohio State safety Caleb Downs as the most popular selections.
ESPN's John Keim pointed to defensive end as the Commanders' biggest need heading into next year's draft.
"Washington needs impact players on defense -- anywhere. But the Commanders have only two defensive ends signed for next season in Dorance Armstrong and Javontae Jean-Baptiste, and both are coming off season-ending injuries. Armstrong was leading Washington with 5.5 sacks until he tore his ACL in Week 6. After him, their best edge rusher has turned out to be Von Miller, who was productive with eight sacks, but is 36 years old. The Commanders need a young, athletic edge rusher to inject more speed into the defensive front."
Whether that materializes into Texas Tech edge David Bailey or Miami (FL) edge Rueben Bain Jr. remains to be seen, though despite the lost change at draft position after the win in the regular season finale, the duo are expected to remain in position for the Commanders to make their move in what will be one of several pieces needed to restock the 2026 defense.
The Commanders don't have a great history of drafting defensive players in recent history, though. The team's last first round pick used on a defensive prospect was in 2023 after the previous regime selected cornerback Emmanuel Forbes out of Mississippi State with the 16th overall selection, though he lasted less than two seasons with the organizations after being waived in late November in 2024 before enjoying a bounce back 2025 season with the Los Angeles Rams. Prior to Forbes was linebacker Jamin Davis, who became a three-year starter before falling out of the rotation.
Of course, the draft will be one of several needed dominos for the Washington Commanders - who also have to address the uncertainty surrounding the status of defensive coordinator with recent reports that head coach Dan Quinn is expected to move on. As for offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, that's less clear, but the mom of quarterback Jayden Daniels expressed optimism for a year three in DC following Sunday's win.