Commanders could be one of NFL's most underrated teams in 2026

[ASFN Admin]

The Washington Commanders' 2025 season threw a wrench in the momentum the team gained in 2024. After making it to the NFC Championship in 2024, the Commanders won just five games in 2025, largely due to the sheer number of injuries on the team as well as the specific players who were injured.

That derailment is why experts and analysts across the league are wary of predicting a winning season for Washington. Still, one media outlet is warning the league not to sleep on the Commanders. Pro Football Sports Network's Jason Katz spoke on the Football Debate Club podcast and picked the Commanders as the league's biggest sleeper.

“There’s no debating Washington’s 2025 season,” Katz said. “It was a disaster.” The Commanders opened by alternating wins and losses through five games, lost eight straight after that, and saw their playoff hopes end with a Week 14 shutout in Minnesota. They stumbled to 5-12 and third in the NFC East. On the surface, that reads like a team that needs a full teardown.

Look closer, and the record is more injury report than talent evaluation. “But were they as bad as their 5-12 record might suggest?” Katz asked. “I say no.”

This is something we've talked about at Commanders Wire this offseason, too. The Commanders' 2025 season was in no way representative of what this team will look like in 2026. First, there are the injuries to consider. Not just the number of them, but who was injured.

Jayden Daniels, Terry McLaurin, Austin Ekeler, Dorance Armstrong, and Zach Ertz were among the most impactful losses to the Commanders. Ertz and Ekeler are no longer with the team, but the others remain on the roster. Combined with the roster and coaching changes this offseason, the Commanders are not the same team in 2026 that they were in 2025.

When trying to predict the outcome of a team's season, you can't simply look at history. And if that's what you're doing, there needs to be context. The Commanders' 2025 season was awful, but that doesn't automatically mean that 2026 won't be great. Daniels and McLaurin are healthy. The defense has been revamped. Coordinators have been replaced. This is a team that many are sleeping on, and those people are likely to be blindsided when the Commanders reestablish themselves as contenders.

This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Commanders could be one of NFL's most underrated teams in 2026

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