With the legal tampering window officially set to open starting at noon ET on Monday, we dive into what to expect for the Washington Commanders in free agency.
It has finally arrived - the legal tampering window in free agency is set to officially begin starting today at 12 PM ET with a chance for the Washington Commanders to begin making moves, kicking off what should be the most exciting and active period for the franchise in years.
Per Spotrac, Washington enters free agency with the fourth-most cap space while leading all NFC teams with just over $83 million in cap space, but maybe no team in the league has more starting spots to address over the next two months.
It might be easier to note the positions that Washington will not need to target this offseason.
Washington will need an upgrade at wide receiver opposite of Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel still set to depart with all signs pointing to him as unlikely to return in 2026. Washington has several attractive free agent wide receiver candidates who can upgrade the unit this offseason.
Washington is also expected to add a pass catcher to the tight end room, though there's question about whether the front office will be aggressive at the top o the market.
Washington will also need to add a backup quarterback to Jayden Daniels with all eyes on Marcus Mariota as he evaluates potential starting jobs that materialize this offseason. Should only backup roles come to fruition, a return to Washington is viewed as expected.
There are also two spots to fill along the starting offensive line with Chris Paul expected to get paid while the front office released Tyler Biadasz, who since signed with the Los Angeles Chargers. Washington is rumored to be a top contender for Tyler Linderbaum, the top free agent center this offseason, with Baltimore still reportedly working on a contract extension. Of course, Washington also re-signed both Nick Allegretti, who has center experience, and Andrew Wylie while Brandon Coleman is a candidate to step back into the starting rotation in 2026.
With one running back in the fold, Washington will also look to add multiple running backs with Kenneth Walker projected to sign with the team this offseason. Rico Dowdle and Tyler Allgeier are two other free agent running backs who fit the Commanders.
On the other side of the ball, adding an edge rusher is a top focus with both K'Lavon Chaisson and Jaelan Phillips among the several free agent edge rushers who fill a need for Washington.
Cornerback is expected to join edge rusher and running back as top priorities for Washington this offseason and after following through on the expectation that Marshon Lattimore would not return, others like Jamel Dean and Riq Woolen serve as prime candidates to upgrade a unit that returns Trey Amos and Mike Sainristil.
Could safety also materialize into a target for Washington? That's also a question mark given Caleb Downs has been routinely discussed as a viable draft target for Washington and after seeing both Will Harris and Quan Martin struggle in 2025, addressing the backline could be one that materializes. New defensive coordinator Daronte Jones also pointed to Harris as one who is versatile.
"Is he a safety? Is he a nickel? Is he a corner? That's another guy that has versatility," Jones said during his introductory press conference.
Despite a long list of stay or go decisions, Washington will also enter free agency having re-signed several pieces already with Treylon Burks, Andrew Wylie, Nick Allegreti, Tress Way, Shy Tuttle, Deatrich Wise Jr, Drake Jackson and Jake Moody all returning on new one year deals. Whether the front office brings others like Jeremy McNichols, Zach Ertz or Bobby Wagner end up returning remain questions for Washington, though they might not be answered immediately.
Of course, Washington still enters free agency with one of the biggest questions still unanswered with Laremy Tunsil still expected to receive a contract extension, which could end up creating slightly more cap space this offseason depending how it ends up getting structured. While the expectation remains the two sides finalize his contract ahead of 2026, it remains a question for general manager Adam Peters to officially cross off heading into the rest of March.
It will be an active offseason for Washington with Monday at noon marking the first chance for general manager Adam Peters and the front office able to start making moves in the open market to begin filling the long list of roster holes.