Washington Commanders News

Home

Quizzes

Watch

Newsletter

Jan 12, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) warms up before a NFC wild card playoff against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Commanders Snubbed from Top 10 NFL Rosters Despite 2024 Playoff Run

Originally posted on Washington Commanders on SI
By David Harrison | Last updated May 29, 2025 2:00 PM ET

The Washington Commanders made a good run in the 2024 season, leading to many expecting just as good if not better results from them in 2025.

While the offense looks much improved after the Commanders traded for receiver Deebo Samuel and offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil, the defense is the big question mark, as many don't seem to see the vision that general manager Adam Peters has for that side of the ball.

The proof will come in the results, of course. But as NFL.com's Eric Edholm ranked the league's 10 most complete rosters, concerns on one side of the ball led him to leave Washington out entirely, much to even his own surprise.

"There's no perfect way to rank the best rosters heading into the 2025 NFL season," Edholm acknowledges. "But I felt it was imperative to go through all 32 teams, grade each position group, weigh those units based on positional importance and see what the numbers told me.

"The results surprised me at first. ...The Commanders, who were one game shy of a Super Bowl last season, didn't make my top 10."

In addition to the Commanders being snubbed, the Los Angeles Rams who nearly beat the eventual Super Bowl winning Philadelphia Eagles in the postseason, were also left off.

Edholm even says that he weighed quarterbacks far heavier than any other position, yet Washington still didn't crack the top 10. The 10th team on this list? That would be the Denver Broncos, led by NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year runner-up, quarterback Bo Nix. Their top receiver, Courtland Sutton, is not as highly regarded as Terry McLaurin for the Commanders. Evidence of that can be found in their respective Pro Football Focus rankings–spoiler–McLaurin is ranked 21 spots higher than Sutton.

New Broncos tight end Evan Engram would be released immediately if Denver could bring on Zach Ertz. Their backfield has some exciting young talent like rookie RJ Harvey, but either theirs is a push with the Commanders' or slightly lower due to the lack of proven potential.

The real separation comes on defense, and that's where it is hard to make an argument. Pat Surtain II is certainly more established than any Washington cornerback, especially until Marshon Lattimore can come back in 2025 and return to Pro Bowl form. And outside of linebackers Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu, there just aren't a lot of proven commodities to argue with.

Safety Quan Martin continues to be underrated, but new Broncos safety Talanoa Hufanga is no slouch himself.

Still, if past results carried any weight in this ranking, the Commanders would certainly land in the top 10, especially considering that both teams they beat en route to their matchup with the Eagles are currently ranked inside it.

Clearly, this isn't about what was done last year, but how Edholm sees the rosters stacking up today. For Washington, it just means another year of being doubted, even if surprisingly so by the one constructing the rankings, and another opportunity to show why they shouldn't be.