We're getting close to the Washington Commanders reporting to Ashburn, Virginia, for training camp, and it's time we got to know the roster a little better.
The Commanders are looking to improve upon their 2025 campaign and have made considerable efforts to bolster the team, from drafting young defensive players to signing veterans with upside in free agency. Jayden Daniels is back and fully healthy for his third season, and the belief is that he can lead the new offense, which is now working with coordinator David Blough's scheme, back to being the potent unit it was in 2024.
Now, with the spotlight on the team, the Commanders must begin preparing for that bounce back performance. As always, that work begins in training camp, and Commanders.com will look at every position ahead of the first practice. We'll start off with the defensive linemen.
On the roster
- DT Ricky Barber
- DT Jeffrey M'Ba
- DT D.J. Davidson
- DE Charles Omenihu
- DE Deatrich Wise Jr.
- DT Daron Payne
- DT Jer'Zhan Newton
- DT Shy Tuttle
- DT Tim Settle Jr.
- DT Javon Kinlaw
What to watch
- Can Tim Settle and Deatrich Wise help Washington stop the run? The Commanders' struggles against the run were one of the defense's biggest problems in 2025. They ranked 30th in yards allowed per game and gave up nearly five yards per carry. Part of that was because of the injuries suffered up front, including Wise, who went down in Week 2 against the Green Bay Packers. Wise is known for being a stout run defender and can set edges to prevent plays from bouncing outside. He'll be expected to add that again in 2026, but he'll also have help from Settle, who returns to the franchise after stints with the Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans. Settle only has 79 tackles in four seasons but is good at clogging up running lanes and holding up double teams for linebackers to make plays. While not the only solutions, their presence should make running the ball on Washington more difficult.
- Can Daron Payne return to dominating the stat sheet? Stats aren't the only factor for determining a player's value, but from a flat production standpoint, it was an average year for Payne with 46 tackles and three sacks. Payne and the Commanders are hopeful he can return to the form he had in 2022, when he tied a franchise record for a defensive tackle with 11.5 sacks and 64 tackles. It should help that the Commanders are deeper up front than they were last year, both on the interior and edges of the defense. The Commanders now have Odafe Oweh and K'Lavon Chaisson to take some of the attention off Payne, which means fewer double teams and more one-on-one matchups when rushing the passer. Although he's now 29 years old, Payne is still considered one of the better defensive tackles in the league and putting him in positions to thrive should help elevate the entire unit.
- What's next for Jer'Zhan Newton? The Commanders were surprised back in 2024 when Newton fell to them in the second round. They viewed him as a first-round pick who could help them crash the interior with his quickness as a pass rusher. There have been flashes of that, although injuries derailed the early stages of his development. The hope is that Newton can play similarly to how he performed during last season's Christmas Day game against the Dallas Cowboys, when he generated three sacks and nine tackles. However, the Commanders' defensive front has now become crowded with draft picks and free agent acquisitions, so he might have to earn more playing time. The team still believes in Newton's skill set, though, and has confidence in what he can add to the room.
