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Washington Commanders wide receiver Deebo Samuel. Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

A pessimist's guide to the 2025 Washington Commanders

By Bruce Ewing | Last updated Jun 11, 2025 1:37 PM ET

It’s hard to find fault with the Washington Commanders these days, but we did. Here are four reasons why last year’s Cinderella team could be in trouble next season.

1. Linebackers

Per ESPN’s Aaron Schatz, the Commanders played base defense only 13% of the time last season, a statistic he attributes to a lack of depth at linebacker. Soon-to-be 35-year-old Bobby Wagner led the team with 132 tackles last season but led the NFL with 183 as a Seahawk in 2023. Frankie Luvu Jr. had 99 tackles after leading the Panthers with 125 the year before.

As Schatz points out, an injury to either could be devastating, as their backups are Dominique Hampton and Jordan Magee, a pair of little-used fifth-round picks in 2024. Aside from Kain Medrano, the team’s sixth-round pick in this year's draft, Washington added no new linebackers in the offseason. Odd for a team that allowed 137.5 rush yards per game last year, third-most in the NFL.

2. Deebo Samuel

Washington sent a fifth-round pick to San Francisco to get the former All-Pro receiver, absorbing $17M left on his contract. Samuel may be an exciting dual-threat option with 22 touchdowns as a receiver and 20 more as a rusher, but he’s not the same player he was four years ago.

Deebo Samuel gets into with Taybor Pepper and Jake Moody after another missed field goal

@NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/kBkwQRIy3i
— KNBR (@KNBR) November 10, 2024

Since breaking out with 1,770 total yards and 14 scores in 2021, Samuel has averaged 731 yards per season as a receiver and 197 yards as a rusher while missing at least two games every year. Washington general manager Adam Peters knows Samuel well from their time together with the 49ers, but it’s fair to question his objectivity in this case.

3. Dante Fowler Jr.

Washington’s defensive line was ranked as the NFL’s second-worst unit by Pro Football Focus last season, primarily due to their aforementioned run defense. Their 43 sacks tied the Jets for the seventh-most in the league, but 10.5 of those sacks came from Fowler.

The 30-year-old edge-rusher also forced a pair of fumbles to go with his first career interception and touchdown in his one season with the team, but signed a one-year, $6M contract to return to the Dallas Cowboys in the spring.

That’s not a lot of money for a player with Fowler’s productivity, and his departure is one the team could regret early.

4. Sophomore slump

Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud threw for 4,108 yards with five interceptions on the way to being named Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2023. Last year, he posted 3,727 yards with 12 interceptions while taking 52 sacks, 14 more than the year before.

Quarterback Jayden Daniels used 4,459 total yards and 31 touchdowns to win the award last year, and many wonder if he’ll suffer the same fate in 2025. For all his struggles, Stroud still took his team to last year’s playoffs, something Daniels must do again in 2025.

Bruce Ewing

Bruce Ewing is 183 pounds of twisted steel and Happy Meals. His work has appeared on Yardbarker, 5th Down Fantasy, Inside the Iggles and MSN. Give a Philly fan a break and follow him on Twitter/X at @fantasybruce.

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