Commanders Pursued Trey Hendrickson

The former Raven and Charger landed a four-year, $96MM pact with Washington. Oweh secured just over $50MM guaranteed at signing, and he will be counted to help bring about an uptick in production off the edge in 2026 and beyond. Oweh was not Washington’s only notable pass rush target on the open market, however.

The Commanders were in the mix for Trey Hendrickson, Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic writes. She notes the team was “very aggressive” in pursuing Hendrickson even after the Oweh deal had been worked out. That adds Washington to the list of known suitors in Hendrickson’s case, with Indianapolis having submitted an offer. Instead of reuniting with Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, the four-time Pro Bowler joined the Ravens on a four-year, $112MM pact.

Hendrickson secured $28MM in terms of average annual value, surpassing Oweh’s $24MM. His Baltimore deal also contained $60MM in full guarantees, edging Oweh in that regard. Hendrickson, who reached 17.5 sacks in the 2023 and ’24 seasons, has a much more robust track record with respect to production. He is four years older, on the other hand, and the former Bengal is coming off core muscle surgery. Those factors led to Hendrickson’s market not reaching the level he thought it would.

Joe Whitt‘s second (and final) season as the Commanders’ defensive coordinator to not go as planned, to say the least. His unit ranked last in the NFL in total defense in 2025, and pass rush production was an issue. It comes as no surprise Washington – armed with significant cap space – was prepared to make not one but two high-profile EDGE additions on the open market while attempting to bring about a rebound moving forward. Oweh thrived upon arrival via trade with the Chargers midway through the 2025 campaign, but it will be interesting to see if he can maintain his strong level of play on his third career team. Charles Omenihu and K’Lavon Chaisson are also in the fold thanks to less lucrative free agent deals.

The Commanders still have nearly $50MM in cap space. That could leave room for another signing, albeit one not nearly as expensive as Hendrickson would have been. Washington could also wait until the draft – in which the team currently has six selections, including No. 7 overall – to bring in another edge rush presence.