Bye Week Ruminations – Where do we go from here?

November 26, 2025

By Noonefromtampa

No, this is not the beginning of the song from The Alan Parsons Project. How does the Washington franchise move on from the debacle of this season and right the ship back to a winning way?

This team was not as close as a lot of people thought and they have some glaring holes, especially on defense with the defensive line, cornerback and linebacker being the prime examples.

Washington also has a number of players on one-year deals and plenty of decisions will need to be made about who stays and who goes.

Let’s take a quick look at pass rushers, since Washington has been statically futile this year, in this very early discussion on possible roster moves.

Edge Rushers – Free Agency

It’s tough to fill some needs in free agency, like a good edge rusher. You basically can rent some older player who has been an effective pass rushing in his prime, but teams do not let good, young pass rushers leave in free agency. Two names that come up in the pass rushing discussion are Trey Hendrickson and K’Lavon Chaisson. If their current team let them move on, those players are two possibilities that the Commanders may look at. Of course, we don’t know yet which players may be jettisoned as part of salary cap cuts, so other names will likely surface early next year.

Fans will want to trade for Myles Garrett or Maxx Crosby to fix the pass rush issues, but the draft cupboard is strong this year for the Commanders.

Edge Rushers – NFL Draft

Depending on where the Commanders end up with their first-round pick, there are several players that could figure into Washington’s draft plans.

Rueben Bain Jr. from Miami is one of the top players in the draft and a likely top 5 pick. He has many of the traits scouts look for in an edge rusher, explosive first step, relentless motor and knows how to use his hands to gain advantage. Size is 6’3 and 275 pounds.

Keldric Faulk from Auburn has the prototypical size at 6’6” and 285 pounds. The former basketball player has great footwork and athleticism. He plays with good leverage and is also an excellent run defender. Scouts love his size and the lean he gets when pass rushing.

Peter Woods from Clemson at 6’3” and 315 pounds, entices the question do you play him inside or outside? Clemson likes to move him around along the front to create mismatches. Having watched a couple of his games, I would call him violent at the point of attack.

David Bailey from Texas Tech at 6’3” and 250 pounds, may be more of a 3-4 outside linebacker and edge rusher than a true defensive end. Originally from California, he left Stanford via the transfer portal and ended up at Tech. He’s not going to be an edge setter on running plays, but he has had 28 sacks so in his college career. In the NFL that is a premium level skill to have.

Other Draft Possibilities

Washington will likely have a top 10 in the 2026 draft. While creating more of pass rush on defense is a top priority, there are a number of players available for this team which lacks having truly elite players on it.

Some other names on Noone’s draft watch list for positions of need are:

• Arvell Reese, linebacker, from Ohio State. I’ve watched a couple of OSU games and Reese stands out. He shows up whether it’s a big or small game and he wreaks havoc on offenses.
• Caleb Downs, safety, from Ohio State. In the games I’ve seen, he’s always around the ball, tackling ball carriers or pass defending. Safety play has been an issue for the Commanders and Downs in the best one in the 2026 draft.
• Wide receiver I’m going to name three here who play outside (not the slot) who I think will be productive talents from the first round:
  • Jordan Tyson, Arizona State, at 6’2” and 200 pounds
  • Chris Brazzell II, Tennessee, 6’5” and 200 pounds
  • Carnell Tate, Ohio State, 6’3” and 195 pounds
  • Jermod McCoy, cornerback, Tennessee, 6’0” and 190 pounds, he can play both zone and press coverages, plus generate turnovers with six interceptions in the last two years.

Of course, the mock draft tracker column will return at the end of season, and earlier than last year, since Washington will probably be eliminated from the playoffs in the next couple of weeks.