The Washington Commanders' 2024 season wasn't exactly expected outside of those within the locker room. After going 12-5 during the regular season, they earned a playoff berth for the first time since 2020 before making a deep playoff run to the NFC Championship.
Unfortunately, that is where things ended for the Commanders, and the moment their attention turned towards improving in 2025-26, with real Super Bowl aspirations now seen as an achievable goal.
While there was plenty to be happy with in terms of how the team performed, one area that gradually became something that would need to be addressed in the offseason was the trenches on both sides of the ball. The Commanders' defensive line struggled to stop the run and dealt with injuries throughout the season, preventing them from realizing their full potential.
On offense, the Commanders felt strong about their efforts on the line, but as the year progressed, it became evident that they would need to reexamine the unit as they struggled to help in the run game and with giving rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels time to throw in the pocket.
The offensive line wasn't horrible by any means, however, with the loss of Sam Cosmi from a serious knee injury that is likely to carry over into the 2025 season, the Commanders will most likely be looking to get a fix in that area. In fact, The 33rd Team's Marcus Mosher, believes that Washington can look towards the best offensive tackle available in free agency, Ravens' Ronnie Stanley, to help in this area.
"There are several starting tackles available in free agency, but most of them are well past their primes or have significant injury concerns. Ronnie Stanley is clearly the best tackle on the market, and the fact that he’s started 34 games (including playoffs) in the last two seasons has quieted some of the injury concerns that haunted him early in his career," wrote Mosher. "The injury history could force Stanley to take a shorter deal, but he still should earn a nice payday in free agency. The Ravens would be smart to bring him back, but they might not have the cap space to get it done. Expect a half-dozen teams or more to be in on Stanley once the free-agent window opens up."
Stanley, a former first-round draft pick and nine-year NFL veteran, is one of the best in the game but does come with some injury concerns. However, he has proven that those days might be behind him after putting together two solid seasons from 2023-2024. Stanley will likely come with a somewhat expensive price tag, but fortunately for Washington, they have the cap space to be able to make a move such as this.
Bringing in Stanley would mean that the Commanders could move second-year tackle Brandon Coleman inside to a guard spot or keep him as a depth piece to help further his development at the professional level. Stanley's experience of blocking for Lamar Jackson would allow for an almost seamless transition to Washington, as Jackson and Daniels both have the same skill sets from the quarterback position.
