The Washington Commanders made significant moves this offseason to strengthen key positions and deepen their roster as they come off of an NFC Championship game appearance and 12-win season. Below, we make five bold predictions for the upcoming season:
Prediction #1: We believe the team has improved overall, but there’s a strong chance their record won’t match last season’s 12-5 finish and NFC Championship run. We went into detail as to why last month here.
Prediction #2: 7th round pick Jacory Croskey-Merritt will take over as the primary back by season’s end. With Brian Robinson not performing the way most fans would like and Austin Ekeler on the tail end of his career, Croskey-Merritt has an opportunity to make a splash this season. It could be a lot sooner than you’d think.
Prediction #3: Daron Payne will have his best season since 2022. Payne broke out in his contract year back in 2022, with 11.5 sacks and 20 QB hits. In the two years since, he has combined for 8 sacks and 18 qb hits. We think he gets back on track this year as the potential for new money looms.
Prediction #4: Ben Sinnott will lead the tight ends in receptions. Coming off of a 5-catch rookie campaign and Zach Ertz’ resurgence, it’s easy to think the 2nd rounder will not be successful in the NFL. Ertz re-signed, but turns 35 this year so we think Sinnott makes his move.
Prediction #5: Marshon Lattimore will play in more than 10 regular season games for the first time since 2021. The Commanders traded for Lattimore last season, but he was only able to play in two regular season games due to injuries. After a few injury prone seasons, we think Lattimore gets right and plays in more games than he has the last four seasons.