With a laundry list of question marks for the Washington Commanders to fill this offseason, head coach
The Washington Commanders have a laundry list of holes to restock on both sides of the ball as head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Adam Peters look to begin rebuilding the roster through their most pivotal offseason since arriving in DC. While depth will also be a focus, so will adding star power to both sides of the ball with a chance to do exactly that with the seventh overall pick and the fifth-most projected cap space this offseason.
"On the offensive side, that's generally somebody that's putting up points. That's more on the defensive side, that's somebody that can affect the quarterback or single on a receiver to eliminate this player," Quinn said on The Kevin Sheehan Show on Thursday. "So those are the ones to me, if you're making the biggest impact, one that can put points on the board, or the rusher or the corner that can take points off the board by the style and the attitude that we play."
Washington has been expected to add a front seven specialist to the defensive staff after the defense struggled to generate pressure in 2025, especially through the second half of the season. All eyes have pointed toward the draft as the primary avenue for Washington to address exactly that with Texas Tech edge David Bailey generating buzz as the top pass rusher in the draft class, but Washington has also drawn a mix of projections in recent mock drafts with defense generating all the focus despite ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. recently projecting Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate to the Commanders in his recent mock draft.
Washington has also become a frequent landing spot for Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, viewed as a top-ten draft pick despite safeties traditionally falling outside the first picks. But maybe the more underrated possibility is cornerback Mansoor Delane, a former three-star prospect out of Archbishop Spalding High School (MD) before playing at Virginia Tech then LSU. One year after blossoming into the top portal cornerback, Delane has drawn buzz as the top NFL Draft prospect at his position. With a need to drastically upgrade the cornerback room with veteran Marshon Lattimore an obvious roster cut candidate, Quinn pointed to cornerback being a fit this offseason.
"If it was often somebody that you know is adding touchdowns and defensively, the rusher that affects the QB, knowing like you got to go after the head of the snake, or a defensive player that can really guard people tight in the moment of truth throws, third down two minutes into those spaces," he added.
How Washington addresses limited draft capital is another question mark with roughly two months until the opening pick, but Quinn explained the traits he and the front office are looking for to upgrade the roster.
"Whoever that player is I want them to have swagger of a Commander. Intensity, toughness, and when people watch us play to say, 'hey, man, like, is that dude an absolute baller by the way he attacks it.'"