Washington Commanders general manager Adam Peters Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Commanders carry the NFL’s oldest roster and fans saw it coming

Originally posted on Riggo's Rag | By Ryan McCafferty | Last updated Aug 28, 2025 1:30 PM ET

The Washington Commanders took the league by storm last season with a stunning run to the NFC Championship game, completing a historic turnaround from winning four games in 2023.

Washington was led by rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, whose meteoric rise into the ranks of the NFL's elite passers has much of the football world projecting the Commanders as a Super Bowl hopeful for years to come. But this is not your average young team.

The Commanders aren't young at all. As it turns out, the oldest squad in the entire NFL. More than that, they're the oldest in more than a decade.

Ron Rivera's poor drafting forced the Commanders to rebuild backwards

After final roster cuts, the Commanders were left with an average age of 28.1 among the 53 players on the squad. Aside from Daniels and cornerback Mike Sainristil, Washington doesn't feature too many standout youngsters.

The primary reason for this? Four consecutive underwhelming draft classes during Ron Rivera's tenure.

A total of six players drafted by the Commanders between 2020 and 2023 are still on the roster, following the releases of tight end Cole Turner and defensive end Andre Jones Jr. Of those six, only two of them — injured right guard Sam Cosmi and safety Quan Martin — are established starters.

Down to only 10 players drafted before 2024 still on the roster ... pic.twitter.com/dH6IAIgzBI
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) August 22, 2025

Among the players selected by Washington in the first two rounds during that span were linebacker Jamin Davis, wide receiver Jahan Dotson, defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis, and cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr. Those gambles by Rivera failed miserably.

Davis and Mathis are currently out of the league. Dotson and Forbes are buried on the depth chart on their respective teams, with their futures beyond 2025 hanging in the balance.

In short, Adam Peters didn't have much to work with when he assumed general manager duties before the 2024 season. He immediately went on a free agency spending spree of high-profile veterans, such as tight end Zach Ertz, linebacker Bobby Wagner, and running back Austin Ekeler. His focus centered on players who could be plugged into short-term roles while Washington drafts and develops more long-term pieces behind them.

The Commanders have !! 21 !! players who are/will be 30+ this season. Six are starters along with Ekeler, Von, Wylie, Jonathan Jones. Different modes this season for sure. https://t.co/rSPooXi4nh
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) August 28, 2025

Generally, when a team in any sport first rises into contention, it's with a young and inexperienced core built through the draft. Then, later on, the team sacrifices some of those youngsters for established veterans who can help them win now.

The Commanders, in this regard, are working backwards. After being dealt a black hole of developmental pieces, Peters has speedrun Washington's rebuild by making it the oldest team in the NFL.

A few years from now, when his own drafts can be properly evaluated, the real challenge will begin.