Washington Commanders Season Recap: MVPs, Disappointments, and Future Moves

With the Official Offensive Rookie of the Year on the roster, Washington Commanders fans have every reason to be hopeful for playoff runs in the foreseeable future.

Quarterback Jayden Daniels was electric in 2024. While Washington is not yet among the NFL’s elite, they made it to the NFC Championship before falling to division rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles.

As the team looks ahead, UKHTTC welcomes back Tony Wheat of Full Press Commanders and regular contributor Simon Thurston, alongside UKHTTC founder Christian Burt, to analyze the season, assess key players, and generate optimism for the draft and free agency under GM Adam Peters.

Most Valuable Player (MVP)

Simon Thurston:

Easy choice—Jayden Daniels.

Beyond his incredible statistics, Daniels single-handedly re-energized the franchise, the team, and the fanbase. Yet, despite the hype, he remained humble. His fairytale season was full of highs, poise, precision, and a level of maturity that even impressed Eagles DC Vic Fangio: “He’s a young quarterback by birth certificate, not by the tape.”

Tony Wheat:

Daniels is the answer, but I’ll also highlight another standout—Frankie Luvu.

Luvu became a leader and a fan favorite with 8 sacks, 99 total tackles, a forced fumble, two recoveries, and an interception. His energy and physicality brought a spark Washington had lacked for years.

Christian Burt:

No debate here—Jayden Daniels.

His record-breaking rookie campaign was sensational. With a strong professional environment and coaching staff, he is poised to lead Washington into a sustained period of success.

Biggest Disappointments

Simon Thurston:

Brian Robinson Jr. – inconsistency in the backfield.

After a promising start, Robinson’s production dipped in the second half of the season. It started pretty well for him, however. Two 100-yard games in the first four weeks and over 500 yards at the halfway stage of the season. But thereafter, he only notched one more 100-yard game and only two that were over 50 yards. It was a largely inconsistent season and one where he only surpassed fifty yards in consecutive games once. I realise Ekeler is more of a pass-catching back, but B-Rob only caught 20 balls, too.

Tony Wheat:

Benjamin St-Juste – a liability in coverage.

Playing Cornerback is a tough job, as the league is heavily weighted towards receivers so they are always going to get beaten, but St-Juste seemed to have a real issue with locating the ball and general awareness. Quite often he wasn’t in a bad position but was beaten because of his inability to locate the ball. As a free agent it is almost certain that we’ve seen the last of him in Washington.

Christian Burt:

Luke McCaffrey – underwhelming rookie season.

Taken in the third round, McCaffrey failed to record a single touchdown. Though he showed flashes as a returner, expectations were maybe higher for a Day 2 draft pick. That is not to say that McCaffrey, who converted from QB to WR in College, might not go on to have a good NFL career with Washington, but his rookie season was underwhelming with a few flashes as a returner not much reward for a guy taken reasonably high

Key Free Agents to Retain

Simon Thurston:

1. Bobby Wagner – Leadership and production at linebacker remain invaluable. His 132 tackles put him in the top 20 in the league and he chipped in with a pair of sacks, also. It wouldn't be impossible to replace his production of course, but what is not quite so easy to replace is his leadership.

2. Marcus Mariota – Chemistry with Daniels and a strong veteran presence. There's clearly a chemistry between him; Jayden Daniels and the passing game staff and I'd be trying everything where possible to keep that continuity. He also still showed he can play, so this wouldn't just be about clipboard carrier retention.

   
   

Tony Wheat:

1. Bobby Wagner & Jeremy Chinn – Wagner’s leadership is unmatched, and Chinn formed a solid safety duo with Quan Martin. Defensively, Bobby Wagner and Jeremy Chinn were both key contributors and the team will almost certainly be keen to retain the services of both. Wagner was everything hoped for and more besides, as his still high-level play and strong leadership brought out the best in others around him. Chinn was considered to be a bit of a flyer as he’d had a couple of quiet years after a good start to his career.

2. Zach Ertz – A reliable safety blanket for Daniels, Ertz proved he still has plenty to contribute.

   
   

Christian Burt:

1. Dyami Brown – With only two contracted WRs, Washington will likely bring back at least one of the guys who suited up in burgundy & gold in 2024. For the right price, I would want Dyami Brown on this team next season. The cost though is very much the key here as Dyami is a difficult receiver to predict contract-wise. On his side: age and some good post-season performances. Against: a pretty much average NFL career overall. However, I like the familiarity with Daniels, so would be willing to go near the $10-12m a season average for three years.

2. Zach Ertz – His experience was invaluable to the young QB, making another one-year deal worthwhile.

   
   

Free Agents to Be Cautious About Re-Signing

Simon Thurston:

1. Mykal Walker – A solid special teams player but replaceable with a younger, cheaper option. He made 21 regular season tackles and two in the playoffs. But sadly, in the cut-throat business that is the NFL, he may well be the type of player who they feel they can replace with a younger and cheaper option, either through the draft or an undrafted free agent.

2. Kazmeir Allen – Spent significant time on the practice squad and dealt with injuries.

   
   

Tony Wheat:

1. Offensive Line Free Agents – Cornelius Lucas, Michael Dieter, and Trent Scott were serviceable but not long-term solutions.

2. Wide Receivers – Dyami Brown, Jamison Crowder, KJ Osborn, Olamide Zaccheaus, and Noah Brown all contributed, but retaining too many limits opportunities for upgrades. I’m particularly intrigued to see if they try and bring back Brown, who blossomed in the playoffs despite another inconsistent season

   
   

Christian Burt:

1. Dante Fowler Jr. – 10.5 sacks might inflate his market value, but he was a non-factor in the postseason. GM Adam Peters should let Fowler test the market rather than get into the $8-10m season deal type conversations. By all accounts, it seems a deep draft class for DEs in 2025.

2. Bobby Wagner – While still productive, age is a concern. Adam Peters might be tempted by Greenlaw who he knows well from San Francisco, although there are injury concerns in that regard. And there is also a certain Zack Braun who will be suiting up for the Eagles in tonight’s Superbowl.

Potential Free Agent Acquisitions

Simon Thurston:

1. Azeez Ojulari (EDGE, NYG) – A productive pass rusher when healthy. In his four seasons with Big Blue, he's amassed 22 sacks and 107 tackles. And until an injury ended his season in week 12, he had six sacks, seven tackles for loss and 10 quarterback hits. And he'll be 25 years old in June, so still has plenty of miles in the tank.

2. DJ Reed (CB, NYJ) – A true shutdown corner who could solidify the secondary. He allowed a mere 57% completion rate and only two touchdowns when targeted this season. He also hasn't allowed a passer rating above 87 in any of the last five seasons when targeted. Him and Lattimore together would really start to solidify the Washington secondary.

   
   

Tony Wheat:

1. Trey Smith (G, KC) or Ronnie Stanley (T, BAL) – Both would provide much-needed talent in the trenches. Chiefs Guard Trey Smith and Ravens Tackle Ronnie Stanley will both command top of the market salaries, but I’d be interested in bringing in either of them. Brandon Coleman can potentially shift to Guard, as could Andrew Wylie and I wouldn’t be surprised if they look to bring in more than one free agent and a day 1 or 2 rookie

2. Tee Higgins (WR, CIN) or Chris Godwin (WR, TB) – A strong WR2 to complement Terry McLaurin. Tee may want too much money, so I’d be interested in bringing in Chris Godwin, who is coming off a serious injury which would need to be checked out, but was playing as well as ever before that, as Washington discovered in week 1. Godwin is a high volume, catching machine, something that Washington dearly needs to complement Terry McLaurin.

   
   

Christian Burt:

1. Osa Odighizuwa (DT, DAL) – Familiar with Dan Quinn’s system and a strong replacement for Jonathan Allen. Osa would link up again with Quinn and allow the Commanders to get younger in the middle of the DL. It will not be a cheap option, but this is where the cutting of Allen and healthy cap space comes into play and gives the trenches a boost in 2025.

2. Khalil Mack (EDGE, LAC) – Still effective at 33, he could provide veteran leadership on a short-term deal.

NFL Draft - pick 29

Simon Thurston:

Part of a Trade for Myles Garrett.

If the price is right, adding an elite pass rusher like Garrett could be game-changing.

Tony Wheat:

Best Player Available—ideally in the trenches.

Washington needs improvements on both the offensive and defensive lines. If a top prospect is available at 29, that should be the pick.

Christian Burt:

Edge rusher to learn behind Mack.

Jalon Walker (Georgia) is an intriguing option who could develop into a force in a year or two. Trading back into the second round is also a possibility.