The 2024 NFL draft is over. NFL teams are now in the third phase of their offseason program and will have a mandatory minicamp next month before breaking for training camp in July.
NFL rosters are mostly set unless a team releases a veteran in a salary-cap move. This gives other teams a chance to add a potential starter, much like Washington did in 2021 with Charles Leno Jr. and Bobby McCain.
With 90-man rosters set, ESPN released its first power rankings since the NFL draft. After adding quarterback Jayden Daniels, did the Commanders move up in the power rankings?
Washington received plenty of praise for its draft haul and free-agency signings.
ESPN has the Commanders at No. 27, which is higher than where they ended the 2023 season. ESPN’s John Keim said Washington’s most improved position this offseason is at linebacker:
For the long term, they’re in a better spot at quarterback with Jayden Daniels. But he remains an unknown in the NFL. So for right now the Commanders improved their linebacking play considerably by adding Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu. Wagner might not be a Pro Bowl, three-down linebacker anymore, but he led the NFL in tackles (183) last season, and Luvu’s pass-rush ability — 12 combined sacks the past two years and 29 tackles for loss — will provide a boost.
It’s indisputable that linebacker is Washington’s most improved spot. Former first-round pick Jamin Davis is not a starter after the additions of Luvu and Wagner. Davis will have a role, but it will not be as an every-down linebacker.
The future looks good for the Commanders, but, as Keim noted, Daniels remains an unknown until he proves himself on the field. If Daniels is the player that Washington thinks he is, the Commanders are in excellent shape for the foreseeable future.