Out of everything that went wrong for the Washington Commanders in their disastrous 2025 season, the injury that may have been easiest to overlook was the one that hit Dorance Armstrong Jr.
At the time, Washington was 3-2 and Armstrong was putting together the best stretch of his career. Through five games, he had become the team’s top defensive player with 5.5 sacks. Then came the hit to his season: first he got dinged up against the Chicago Bears, and the next week he tore his ACL against the Dallas Cowboys, his former team.
From there, the Commanders kept going and won two more games without him. Armstrong, meanwhile, has spent the months since trying to get back to where he was.
That is the challenge now. He enters this season in a very different place, and he’s going to have to fight his way out of it if he wants to protect his future in Washington.
General manager Adam Peters has already hinted that contract extensions could be coming for some players. The most obvious name is quarterback Jayden Daniels, who will be eligible after this season. Armstrong is also in a contract year, and after the production he put up in 2025, he has to be in the conversation for a new deal.
But he’s got plenty of ground to make up.
Armstrong missed most of the summer while recovering from the knee injury, and he’ll also be unavailable for Washington’s opener against the Philadelphia Eagles because of a suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy, a punishment tied to an assault incident in May 2025.
And even when he’s cleared to play, there’s no guarantee he walks back into a major role. The Commanders signed Odafe Oweh and K’Lavon Chaisson to start on the edge, which leaves Armstrong in reserve territory for now, assuming both players are fully healthy after missing time during training camp.
That sets up a pretty stark range of outcomes. Armstrong could end up being a non-factor, which would make Washington’s decision on his future easy. Or, if he’s fully recovered and adjusts quickly to his role in Daronte Jones’ new 3-4 scheme, he could still get back to the form he showed before everything fell apart.
That’s the part easy to forget: Armstrong was really playing at that level. Even with Chaisson and Oweh added, there’s still a chance he could be Washington’s best pass-rusher.
So for a player who has spent this offseason largely out of sight, the motivation is obvious. He has every reason to show the league what he can still do. Now it comes down to how many chances he gets, and what he does with them.
For Armstrong, this season could decide everything.
In Other News...
Commanders Edge Depth Takes Another Hit After Camp Comeback Ends
Washingtons edge rotation took another step back late in camp when the Commanders placed linebacker/defensive end Drake Jackson on injured reserve Aug. 25, then moved on with an injury settlement. Jackson had come in as a low-risk comeback attempt, the kind of flyer teams take on a former second-round pick who still has some name value and pass-rush upside, especially after a lost year spent rehabbing a torn patellar tendon from training camp.
Jackson did get back on the field with Washington last season, appearing in three games, but this latest setback has now left him without a roster spot and looking for a new landing place. For a Commanders defense already trying to sort through its edge depth, it is another reminder of how thin that group can get when a promising reclamation project never gets fully off the ground. [Read more 🡒]
Adam Peters Just Dropped A Big Clue About Washington's Core
Adam Peters gave Commanders fans a clear sense that the organization believes it has turned a corner. Speaking at a public event, Washingtons general manager said he feels better about the teams 2026 roster than he did in previous seasons, a notable vote of confidence for a franchise that has spent years trying to rebuild its identity. He also steered clear of taking shots at former head coach and GM Ron Rivera, keeping the focus on where the team is headed rather than where it has been.
Peters went a step further by suggesting the current roster could outperform outside expectations, and he paired that optimism with a hint that more roster work is coming. The Commanders are planning multiple contract extensions, a sign they want to reward pieces they believe in while continuing to stabilize the core. He also pointed to the organizations improved connection with fans, another reminder that Washington is trying to sell something more durable than a short-term reset. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders May Have Found A Fast-Rising Answer To A Growing WR Question
Washingtons scouting department has a new name to keep on the radar after Texas wide receiver Ryan Wingo opened the season with a performance that turned heads. Wingo finished with seven catches for 121 yards and a touchdown, the kind of early-season production that can quickly push a player into draft conversations and force evaluators to take a longer look.
For the Commanders, the timing matters just as much as the stat line. Several of their wide receivers are in contract years, leaving the team with real uncertainty about its long-term receiving picture, so a fast-rising prospect like Wingo is worth tracking closely even this early in the college season. The question now is whether his opener was just a strong start or the beginning of a broader rise that could put him squarely in Washingtons future plans. [Read more 🡒]