OTA Preview: 3 Commanders questions before offseason workouts

As the NFL offseason workouts ramp up let's look at some things to watch in Ashburn.

On Wednesday the Commanders will hold their first OTA session with the media in attendance. What we see - and don’t see - will be our first real look at what the 2026 season might look like.

It’s vital to stress these are May workouts and actual football is months away. These are glimpses, brief ones, into what things will be so don’t go crazy with assumptions.

That said, there are things worth watching, particularly new coordinators on both sides of the ball.

Systems check - Commanders head coach Dan Quinn had a busy offseason, hiring two new coaches to run his offense and defense. Neither the new defensive or offensive coordinator has even been in this role before. That’s a big deal.

For Daronte Jones at least he has a litany of NFL coaching experience and has called defenses on the college level. There will still be an adjustment for Jones but the uphill climb doesn’t seem as severe. It also helps that Quinn has plenty of experience running defenses so should Jones need some support, it’s there.

The offensive side of the ball will be far more interesting.

New play-caller David Blough has never called plays before, let alone been more than an assistant position coach. Add in the fact that Blough is installing a brand new offense, that he largely had to build this offseason, and it’s going to be super intriguing to watch how things look early on.

I almost expect there to be some confusion and misunderstandings. That’s normal this time of year under the best of circumstances let alone with all the moving parts on this Washington offense.

Blough maximizing third-year QB Jayden Daniels is probably the most important piece to the 2026 Commanders season. We know the offense is going to look different, but the hope is the offense looks good.

Don’t hurt me again - Part of the reason the 2025 Commanders season went so poorly was injuries. Offense, defense and even special teams were affected, some more so than others. The injury headliners were Daniels and Terry McLaurin, but don’t forget Austin Ekeler, Zach Ertz, Dorrance Armstrong, Trey Amos, Luke McCaffery and on and on.

I’ll be keeping an eye out for players that finished the season on injured reserve to see where they are to return this fall. Amos and Armstrong were playing at a high level last year and will be important parts for an improved Commanders defense this season. Amos should be ready, DA is more of a question mark.

Daniels and McLaurin should be completely healthy. We’ve already seen social media videos of those two with other skill position players going through workouts in Los Angeles.

Washington needs a healthy season to get back to the playoffs. If guys are missing workouts in May is ok as long as the rehab is on track. Wednesday we get to see.

Look out - An unfortunate reality of the NFL is contract issues happen. Last year the organization’s tough stance in contract talks with McLaurin drove a wedge in the entire offseason.

This year there aren’t any obvious contract disputes but it won’t be a shock if some of the veteran players going into the final year of their deal don’t show up for OTAs. Especially if there’s no guaranteed money left on the deal.

OTAs are voluntary. It’s reasonable for players to miss them. Another thing that happens often, players take part in most of the offseason workouts but skip the days the media attends. That gets their message out.

With all the newness going on in Ashburn the team doesn’t need the added distraction of contract issues. There doesn’t appear to be anything simmering behind the scenes, but you never know who might skip an OTA session.