Adam Peters is usually close-lipped on his exact plans for tweaking the Washington Commanders' roster, but he laid out two parts of his offseason approach following its 5-12 finish: the Commanders need to get younger and faster, and they need to upgrade their pass rush.
Two months later, both areas were addressed, and count head coach Dan Quinn among the many who were pleased with how things turned out.
"Amen," Quinn said at League Meetings in Arizona. "He delivered."
Peters wasn't revealing some great secret when he acknowledged both needs at the conclusion of the season. The Commanders had the league's oldest roster in 2025, and their pass rush, albeit ravaged by injuries, did not perform up to expectations. Still, give credit where it's due: Peters saw the problem and did what he could to fix it. He didn't do a bad job, either; the Commanders signed Odafe Oweh -- one of the top pass-rushers available in free agency -- as well as K'Lavon Chaisson and Charles Omenihu.
The Commanders might not be done -- the NFL draft is less than a month away -- but their pass rush already looks drastically different and better, at least in theory, than it did in 2025.
The Commanders' 2024 pass rush was built more on hope than hard evidence. Dorance Armstrong was the most accomplished of the group and was on his way to a strong season before tearing his ACL, but the rest of the defensive ends were a mix of developmental players and veterans who were known better for stopping the run. Armstrong, Deatrich Wise Jr. and Javontae Jean-Baptiste all experienced essentially season-ending injuries, and the Commanders were left with a patchwork of players who flashed talent but lacked consistency.
Everything always looks better in March, but this year's iteration Washington's pass rush appears to have more teeth to it. Oweh and Chaisson are the sharpest of the bunch; both players had twice as many pressures as any member of the Commanders' defense last year, according to Next Gen Stats, and combined for 21 sacks in the regular and postseason. As a team, the Commanders had 42 sacks last season.
There's also a background of rare athletic ability -- a common trait among players Peters has added in recent years. Chaisson didn't test at the combine in 2020, but Oweh recorded a 9.92 Relative Athletic Score (RAS), placing him 12th among 1,360 defensive end prospects from 1987 to 2021. He ran a 4.37 at 257 pounds with an 11-foot-2 broad jump, both of which received perfect 10 grades.
So, younger and faster? Check. Productive? Check.
"Just really something we needed to address, and we did," Peters said. "I was actually pretty surprised we were able to get both of those guys."
The other reason Oweh and Chaisson were enticing prospects to the Commanders: both players are still ascending in their careers. Over two-thirds of Oweh's sacks have come in the last two seasons, while Chaisson tied for 11th among defensive ends in total pressures despite only starting in 10 games in 2025. The Commanders only signed Chaisson for one season, but they believe that will be enough to motivate him.
"He's still really young," Peters said. "He's still ascending. He's got one year to prove it, and I think he's gonna do really well."
The Commanders feel similarly about Omenihu, who is only 28 years old but has bounced around the league with three teams. Omenihu wasn't as productive in terms of sacks with 3.5, but he did register 13 quarterback hits in 2025. His most valuable trait to the Commanders, however, might be his versatility and how that can affect those around him.
"Charles is a player that...can be outside all the way to inside," Quinn said. "And so, it leaves guys like Odafe and KC [Chaisson] more outside first."
There's also the Commanders' returning players to consider. The additions of Oweh, Chaisson and Omenihu could provide more one-on-one opportunities for Daron Payne, who is playing on the last year of his contract. Although he only recorded three sacks in 2025, there's at least a precedent for his impact when less attention is on him, as he had 11.5 sacks and 20 quarterback hits in 2022. It should also allow players like Jean-Baptiste to continue their development with less pressure to produce right away.
As for Armstrong, there hasn't been an update on when he will return from tearing his ACL last October. But Quinn liked the direction he was heading prior to the injury and is getting updates on his recovery.
"The good news with him is he's doing great," Quinn said. "And so, [he] just sent me a video of him just training the other day, and [I'm] just super pumped about where he's headed and where it's going because he's a real factor in his versatility. You've seen him line up outside and inside. And so, because of him, we're allowed to move other parts around as well."
There's a chance that more new faces are coming to the Commanders' pass rush. They possess the No. 7 overall pick, and players like David Bailey, Arvell Reese and Rueben Bain Jr. could be available to them. Some of those players could be taken before the Commanders are on the clock, but with Indiana's Fernando Mendoza expected to go No. 1 and players like linebacker Sonny Styles, safety Caleb Downs, running back Jeremiyah Love and wide receiver Carnell Tate all expected to be top 10 picks, there's a strong chance that one of them will fall to Washington.
Quinn's not going to turn down the opportunity to add more pass rushers if it comes to that.
"The best teams that I've been a part of had waves of players that could apply pressure," Quinn said. "And we'll need to be able to do that, and we will."
