Free Agency Preview 2026: Edge
February 4, 2026
By Noonefromtampa
The Commanders pass rush was horrible in 2025 and needs a serious upgrade. The team will likely draft a pass rushing defensive player early in the draft but will also need to sign a couple of edge players. The team only returns starter Dorance Armstrong and backup Javontae Jean-Baptiste at end. So, adding a couple of proven veterans made logical sense.
The list of possible free agents currently is:
| Player | 2025 Team | Snaps | Age | Hgt/Wgt | Sacks | Projected
AAV |
| Trey Hendrickson | Bengals | 26.2% | 32 | 6-4/265 | 4.0 | $25,500,000 |
| Odafe Oweh | Chargers | 48.7% | 28 | 6-5/265 | 7.5 | $20,000,000 |
| Khalil Mack | Chargers | 41.7% | 35 | 6-3/269 | 5.5 | $18,500,000 |
| Kwity Paye | Colts | 62.0% | 28 | 6-3/265 | 4.0 | $18,000,000 |
| Jaelan Phillips | Eagles | 74.5% | 27 | 6-5/266 | 5.0 | $17,000,000 |
| Joey Bosa | Bills | 57.2% | 31 | 6-5/280 | 5.0 | $14,000,000 |
| Dre’Mont Jones | Ravens | 72.2% | 29 | 6-3/281 | 2.5 | $11,000,000 |
| Malcolm Koonce | Raiders | 44.5% | 28 | 6-3/243 | 4.5 | $10,000,000 |
| Joseph Ossai | Bengals | 56.6% | 26 | 6-3/263 | 5.0 | $10,000,000 |
| K’Lavon Chaisson | Patriots | 62.5% | 27 | 6-3/255 | 7.5 | $9,000,000 |
| Arnold Ebiketie | Falcons | 34.8% | 27 | 6-2/250 | 2.0 | $9,000,000 |
| Leonard Floyd | Falcons | 41.8% | 34 | 6-3/240 | 3.5 | $9,000,000 |
| Boye Mafe | Seahawks | 49.7% | 28 | 6-4/251 | 2.0 | $8,000,000 |
| Al-Quadin Muhammad | Lions | 41.4% | 31 | 6-3/250 | 11.0 | $8,000,000 |
| Arden Key | Titans | 42.3% | 30 | 6-5/240 | 4.0 | $7,000,000 |
| A.J. Epenesa | Bills | 44.6% | 28 | 6-6/260 | 2.5 | $6,500,000 |
| Jadeveon Clowney | Cowboys | 33.7% | 33 | 6-5/266 | 8.5 | $6,000,000 |
| Kingsley Enagbare | Packers | 41.8% | 26 | 6-4/258 | 2.0 | $6,000,000 |
| Von Miller | Commanders | 36.9% | 37 | 6-3/250 | 9.0 | $6,000,000 |
| Dante Fowler Jr. | Cowboys | 32.4% | 32 | 6-3/261 | 3.0 | $5,000,000 |
| Haason Reddick | Buccaneers | 49.8% | 32 | 6-1/240 | 2.5 | $5,000,000 |
| Derek Barnett | Texans | 33.7% | 30 | 6-3/259 | 5.0 | $4,500,000 |
| Yetur Gross-Matos | 49ers | 14.6% | 28 | 6-5/265 | 0.0 | $3,500,000 |
| Charles Omenihu | Chiefs | 54.3% | 29 | 6-5/280 | 3.5 | $3,500,000 |
| Kyle Van Noy | Ravens | 43.4% | 35 | 6-3/255 | 2.0 | $3,500,000 |
| Denico Autry | Texans | 19.8% | 36 | 6-5/285 | 3.5 | $3,000,000 |
| Samson Ebukam | Colts | 35.7% | 31 | 6-3/245 | 2.0 | $3,000,000 |
| Tyquan Lewis | Colts | 28.0% | 31 | 6-2/267 | 3.0 | $3,000,000 |
| Deatrich Wise | Commanders | 4.5% | 32 | 6-5/271 | 0.0 | $3,000,000 |
| Brandon Graham | Eagles | 10.0% | 38 | 6-2/265 | 3.0 | $2,500,000 |
| Emmanuel Ogbah | Jaguars | 29.5% | 33 | 6-4/269 | 0.5 | $2,500,000 |
| Joe Tryon-Shoyinka | Bears | 13.2% | 27 | 6-5/260 | 0.0 | $2,500,000 |
| Jacob Martin | Commanders | 61.5% | 31 | 6-2/242 | 5.0 | $2,500,000 |
With a new defensive coordinator and uncertainty about the scheme it is hard to predict what the best course of action is for the Commanders. Who the team signs in free agency and drafts will give a lot of clues about the type of defense they will be running next season.
Washington has a lot of free cap space to spend in free agency, so it can pursue some big names to fill the gaps in the defense. Adam Peters though has been a cautious spender so far in his tenure as general manager.
Personally, I don’t think the team should pay out a big contract to players over 30; sorry Hendrickson fans. The Commanders may consider bringing back cap-friendly players like Miller, Wise or Martin on one-year contracts again this season. Miller and Martin provided good value for the pass rush they generated.
The Colts and Eagles will have some decisions to make on which players to re-sign and or tag this offseason. Players like Payne and Phillips would be good long-term additions to the roster but they might not be available for free agency. Oweh from the Chargers also fits this category. Teams try hard to keep good young players on their roster, so most do not make it to free agency.
Players like Jones, Ossai and Chaisson might be more likely additions to the Washington roster. The team will be probably being saving $17M in cap space by releasing Daron Payne and that will help address the pass rush issue.
The odds are edge will be one of the splash position signings this offseason and fans will be looking forward to seeing who the team signs. It will also impact the team’s draft strategy too. If the edge rusher issue is sufficiently addressed in free agency, the possibility of drafting a Sonny Styles or Caleb Downs to add an impact player on the back-end seven to further improve the defense.
Comparative Stats:
| Player | Jones | Ossai | Chaisson | Paye | Oweh |
| Combined Tackles | 17 | 43 | 31 | 39 | 28 |
| Solo Tackles | 6 | 21 | 18 | 15 | 15 |
| TFL | 5 | 9 | 10 | 6 | 13 |
| QB Hits | 9 | 12 | 18 | 9 | 8 |
| PD | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Forced Fumbles | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Sources: overthecap.com, spotrac.com, pro-football-reference.com