University of Kwazulu-Natal

Four Glaring Issues Holding Back The Commanders In 2025

Bonisiwe Shabane
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four glaring issues holding back the commanders in 2025

The Washington Commanders are dealing with a frustrating mix of potential and inconsistency through the early part of the 2025 season. While there have been flashes of what this team can be under head coach Dan Quinn, too many familiar issues keep showing up. Washington has plenty to clean up if it hopes to turn things around. Here’s a breakdown of the four biggest issues holding the Commanders back so far. The Commanders have been hit hard by injuries this season, and it’s showing. Washington has lost key players on both sides of the ball, including starters at wide receiver, defensive end, and quarterback.

Jayden Daniels’ recent hamstring injury added yet another name to the list, leaving the offense without its biggest dual-threat weapon. These injuries have forced constant lineup changes, disrupting rhythm and limiting chemistry. For a team still trying to maintain the success from last year, losing that many key contributors makes it tough to find consistency. The Commanders need to get healthy to avoid falling deeper into the NFC standings. The Washington Commanders were the success story of 2024, going 12-5 and reaching the NFC Championship game only one year after winning four contests. Naturally, expectations are much higher for 2025.

That's precisely why many analysts in the national media seem to believe regression is in store. The Houston Texans experienced this trajectory a year ago. They had a rookie quarterback drafted No. 2 overall who led them to a surprise playoff run in 2023. However, the AFC South club failed to meet loftier goals the following campaign. There's only one problem with equating the 2024 Commanders to the 2023 Texans...

Jayden Daniels is better than C.J. Stroud. A lot better. The Commanders were a team on the rise entering the 2025 season, but nearly everything has gone wrong. Perry Knotts / Getty Images ASHBURN, Va.

— It’s never just one thing. Never just one decision or one play. It’s never just one game, even. It’s always a collection of smaller things that decide an NFL season. The 2024 Washington Commanders seemed to find all the right things — on the field and off. They found their quarterback of the future in Jayden Daniels, found two other new starters in the draft, found veterans eager to lead and prove they still had it, and quickly found their identity...

There was some luck, no doubt. Had six plays — six — ended differently, the Commanders might have finished last season 6-11 and watched the playoffs from home. A couple of injuries alone could have easily caused that. But Washington didn’t finish 12-5 and a win away from the Super Bowl purely by happenstance. Too many concrete steps had to be reached for it to achieve that success after overhauling its staff and roster months prior. Expectations are heightened for the Washington Commanders after a 12-win season and the franchise’s first trip to the NFC Championship game in three decades.

The team has had a strong offseason to make sure last year wasn’t a fluke by trading for Deebo Samuel and Laremy Tunsil, though one analyst still has a big concern about the team... Analyst Joe Fortenbaugh contributed to a recent ESPN article with his colleagues, where they went through each team’s total win outlook for 2025, and he is concerned that the team’s 2024 point differential and... “I am, however, highly concerned about the abundance of red flags signaling an upcoming regression for Washington. For starters, the Commanders finished 12-5 last year despite a +94 point differential, which is more indicative of a 10.6-win team. Second, Washington went 8-4 in one-score games. Those are two metrics which demonstrate how Dan Quinn’s team performed above expectation in 2024,” Fortenbaugh said.

The points Fortenbaugh mentioned are valid, but that regression could be counteracted by natural progression and the potential improvement on offense that Deebo Samuel and Laremy Tunsil could contribute to. After their surprise run to the NFC Championship game last season, the Washington Commanders are suddenly legitimate title hopefuls entering the 2025 campaign. But one glaring flaw could hold them back. The Commanders beefed up their offensive line with the additions of five-time Pro Bowler Laremy Tunsil and first-round rookie Josh Conerly Jr. They brought in wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. to pair with Terry McLaurin in what figures to be an explosive group of offensive weapons.

They also figure to have a better secondary, with a healthy Marshon Lattimore and development from a pair of second-round picks in Mike Sainristil and Trey Amos. One area that Washington inexplicably neglected this offseason was the defensive front. And if the Commanders disappoint in 2025, that will likely factor into why. Moe Moton from The Bleacher Report published an article titled "1 roster flaw that can derail the 2025 season for each NFL Super Bowl contender". It should come as no surprise to Commanders fans what Washington's entry was. The Washington Commanders went from winning four games and getting the No.

2 pick in 2023 to winning 12 and reaching the NFC Championship Game in 2024. They brought in a new coaching staff, revamped the roster, and found a legitimate star quarterback in Jayden Daniels. However, as pointed out by NFL analyst Warren Sharp, they may have also had a little help from schedule-makers. Notably, that won’t be the case this time around. As shown by Sharp, the Commanders played 12 games against teams that didn’t make the playoffs last season, meaning they had the No. 1 easiest schedule in the entire league.

The Washington Commanders reached the NFC Championship game against all odds last season. There are still things head coach Dan Quinn needs to clean up before this surprising surge into Super Bowl contention becomes something more sustainable. Quinn oversaw a sensational culture shift last season. The Commanders were more disciplined and competitive. They came through in crucial situations almost constantly. They were never out of the fight and displayed characteristics that were almost non-existent under previous coaching regimes.

It was the best start imaginable to this exciting new era. What's important for Quinn is rectifying some issues that held them back during a fairytale run. One at the forefront of his mind was painfully obvious. Washington's run defense was nowhere near the level expected in 2024. They conceded almost 2,500 rushing yards throughout the campaign at 143.4 per game. Only the Carolina Panthers' historically bad defense was below them in this key category.

The Washington Commanders need Terry McLaurin. That may seem like an obvious statement, but if they need a reminder, they just need to take a look at their wide receiver depth chart. “With Terry McLaurin and Noah Brown both out, the Commanders’ lack of receiving depth has been a glaring issue in recent practices, especially so on Wednesday. … So far, none of the Commanders’ 10 other receivers has emerged as consistent playmakers or a reliable pass catcher capable of taking on more. The hope, of course, is that McLaurin signs an extension — and soon. He doesn’t have much leverage in his talks with the team, but its lack of starting-caliber wideouts and receiving depth have become increasingly favorable to McLaurin as he seeks a new deal,” Nicki Jhabvala...

That’s where McLaurin has leverage as he sits out in pursuit of a contract extension. The team might feel like he will have no choice but to suit up and play for them. During the darkest days of the Washington Commanders’ previous regime, fans could rely on a few constants. Tress Way would be the punter. Jeremy Reaves would lead the special-teams coverage unit. Terry McLaurin would be the best player on offense.

And Jonathan Allen would have that honor on the defensive side of the ball. Way, Reaves, and McLaurin (hopefully) remain in the fold. But Allen is now playing for the Minnesota Vikings. Allen wasn’t merely Washington’s best defensive player from the time of his arrival in 2017. He wasn’t simply a Pro Bowler back in the early 2020s. He was also a clear team leader, twice nominated by the club for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.

Ultimately, it appears that his dissatisfaction with the dysfunction in the last days of Dan Snyder’s ownership soured him so much that he could not rediscover his enthusiasm when ownership changed and the team’s...

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