The Washington Commanders have to be considered the sleeping giants of the NFL heading into the 2026 season. Injuries derailed their 2025 campaign, but it's easy to forget that this team made it all the way to the NFC Championship Game in the 2024 season, and they've just had a monster free agency period.
The Commanders fortified their pass rush by signing both Odafe Oweh and K'Lavon Chaisson, two former first-round picks coming off of the best seasons of their career. They also stole Leo Chenal and Charles Omenihu from the Kansas City Chiefs, adding another couple of big-time athletes to the defensive front.
Getting Nick Cross and Amik Robertson for the secondary fills even more gaps for this Commanders defense, and the addition of Chig Okonkwo gives Jayden Daniels a new safety valve at the tight end position to replace Zach Ertz. So where do the Commanders go from here? How can they attack the 2026 NFL Draft and get back on top of the NFC East?
Commanders need to target Jeremiyah Love with their top pick in the 2026 NFL Draft
Round 1 | 7th overall: Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame
For the majority of the 2026 offseason, we've been projecting the Commanders to go after a defensive lineman or pass rusher. And they could absolutely still do that, but we also know that this offense is missing some explosiveness in the playmaking department.
Terry McLaurin can't do it all himself, and while the Commanders have some nice pieces at the running back position, they need another "easy button" for Jayden Daniels to hand the ball off to or dump it off to in the passing game. Jeremiyah Love can be that easy button.
Keep in mind that Commanders GM Adam Peters saw firsthand the way a running back can drastically impact an offense and make life easier for the QB when the 49ers traded for Christian McCaffrey. The Commanders are one of the few teams equipped to use a top-10 pick on a running back, and Love could be the missing piece for them.