The Washington Commanders are just over a week away from training camp, and there's no shortage of mystery surrounding the team heading into the 2026 season with new coordinators on both sides of the ball and several new players joining the roster. There are some ingredients for a bounce-back performance, but there are still questions about how that could unfold.

For the "Good Morning Football" crew, their focus is on one of the Commanders' main offseason goals: getting the ground attack more involved in the game plan.

"People have to remember that the Washington Commanders ran the ball pretty well last year," said analyst and former offensive guard Willie Colon. "Their record was bad, but they got after it up front."

Although the Commanders' offense regressed in 2025, largely because of the injuries to Jayden Daniels, Terry McLaurin and other key contributors, their run game remained one of the best in the league. They were fourth in yards per game, fifth in yards per attempt and eighth in rushing first downs per game. Jacory Croskey-Merritt, who paced the team with 805 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 175 carries, led the league in success rate -- a stat used by Pro Football Reference based on the ability to gain required yardage on downs -- at 53.7%.

The Commanders want more of that, which is part of the reason why they promoted David Blough from assistant quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator so early in his career. Aside from him playing in proven systems orchestrated by Ben Johnson and Kevin O'Connell, Blough's vision includes a more balanced attack compared to the previous system the Commanders used, which had more Air Raid tendencies and relied heavily on Daniels' arm for explosive plays.

"If there's a balance in the run-pass ratios, then we're hitting the marks probably at the right strides," head coach Dan Quinn said. "And I would say the explosives will be up knowing we can do that. And so that's the first part, you know, I'm looking for one that has good balance, like I say will always be 50/50, but if you can find that and attack in that way, that's what success would look like to me early on."

Last year, the Commanders ranked fourth in rushing play percentage at 48.89% (the Ravens were the only team to be at 50% or above at 52.05%). However, there is still room for the Commanders in terms of using their running game. They were ninth in rushing attempts per game and rushing first downs per game. They were also 28th in time of possession, so assuming they can stay on the field more often in 2026, there will be more opportunities to establish a presence on the ground.

"When you have a young quarterback like Jayden Daniels, who's capable of doing anything and everything on the field, one way to preserve him is having a run game," Colon said. "Can you have a more balanced attack? And I think when you hear coaches talk about this offense this upcoming year, they want to become more balanced."

While most of the Commanders' offseason investments were focused on the defense, many of their personnel additions on offense went toward strengthening their backfield. They re-signed Jeremy McNichols and brought in veterans like Rachaad White and Jerome Ford. They also drafted Kaytron Allen, Penn State's all-time leading rusher, in the sixth round as a change-of-pace option to Croskey-Merritt's quickness and burst.

While it's not clear yet how those pieces will mix, it's clear to Colon that any success Washington had in the upcoming season will depend on their success.

"This running back room...has to be the bell cow for Jayden Daniels and this offense," Colon said. "When people talk about balanced offense, it's not necessarily 50/50. It's having the ability to do whatever you want on the field if you can run or pass it."