The Washington Commanders are no longer a sleeper team in the NFC. ‘
After Jayden Daniels already proved himself as an at least a top 10 quarterback in the NFL and Washington stunned the league by finishing 2024 with a (12-5) record and trip to the NFC Championship game, most smart people in league circles view the Commanders as legitimate contenders in 2025.
And it’s hard not to look at what GM Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn are doing and buy in to a team that was the laughing stock of the NFL for decades.
Seemingly overnight, the Washington Commanders have morphed into the model NFL franchise. Every move they have made since getting gashed by the Eagles in the NFC Championship game has been smart, aggressive and well-calculated.
It’s clear the Commanders believe their Super Bowl window is right now and they are trying to surround Daniels with as much talent as possible to capitalize on this three-year window before he gets a major payday.
Washington kicked off the offseason by making a point to bring back key veterans who make a major impact on the field but are even more important to the culture Quinn has established. Guys like Zach Ertz and Bobby Wagner are crucial to Washington’s success in 2025.
Then the Commanders traded for Deebo Samuel and right after that, shocked the entire league by pulling off a trade for 5-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil. Those two moves just gave Daniels a versatile weapon to play opposite of Terry McLaurin who can be utilized in multiple ways and protection on his blindside by one of the best pass blockers in the NFL.
Washington added a few role players with high upside on defense like Javon Kinlaw and Jonathan Jones, but when the NFL Draft rolled around, the Commanders landed a few day one starters.
Their first-round pick Josh Conerly Jr. is an athletic mammoth and one of the best tackles of the 2025 class. He will play right tackle opposite of Tunsil. In the second round, Washington snagged CB Trey Amos out of Ole Miss, who most talent evaluators had a first round grade on.
Then in the fourth round, the Commanders drafted Virginia Tech WR Jaylin Lane, who gives them another explosive downfield WR threat who can be dynamic on special teams in the return game.
It’s obvious as to why so many people are high on the Commanders heading into 2025, but the standstill between the team and McLaurin needs to get resolved sooner than later. All reports out of D.C. are that Washington plans to keep him there and get a deal done, but as each day passes, speculation about a potential trade only intensifies.
Bleacher Report’s Mitchel Milani believes the Commanders could trade McLaurin to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for former first-round WR Treylon Burks and a second-round pick in 2026:
“This Tennessee wide receiving corps is not that good and that makes me concerned about Cam Ward as a rook,” Milani said. “Now imagine if Terry McLaurin and Calvin Ridley were playing together. Now we’re talking about a sleeper in this division. The surprise the Titans you know all the sudden be in the mix in the AFC south like the AFC south is not a great division. Sio if they had Calvin Ridley, McLaurin and Ward … Tennessee all of a sudden would be pretty and pretty fun to watch. It would also be a big move for Brian Callahan to help keep his job because I’m not sure he’s gonna be able to do it with the current roster that’s constructed in Tennessee.
On top of that, let’s talk about Treylon Burks. I threw them in because it feels like he’s a guy that the Titans would be willing to give up. He was supposed to be the guy to replace AJ Brown that didn’t exactly work out in Tennessee, but he still has enough physical talent, and enough upside that does exist in his profile to be able to buy into as a cheap option if you’re the Commanders. Like let’s coach them up let’s see what he is in our system.”
