The Washington Commanders had incredible injury luck in 2025. That good injury luck helped Washington have its best season in 33 years. The Commanders finished 12-5 and made it to the NFC Championship.
This offseason, general manager Adam Peters had the task of upgrading Washington’s roster around star quarterback Jayden Daniels. While the Commanders didn’t spend heavily in free agency, Peters used trades to upgrade the roster. He swung deals for a pair of former Pro Bowlers: left tackle Laremy Tunsil and wide receiver Deebo Samuel.
Those additions come with some questions, which led CBS Sports to suggest that Washington’s bet on injury-prone players could be its red flag in 2025.
The Commanders are one of the NFL’s most popular contenders thanks to Jayden Daniels’ magical 2024 debut. And general manager Adam Peters understandably wasted no time upgrading Daniels’ supporting cast by swinging trades for Deebo Samuel and Laremy Tunsil this offseason. The only issue is both Samuel and Tunsil, who will play vital roles in aiding and protecting Daniels, have missed extensive time due to injury in the last few years. Veteran defensive addition Javon Kinlaw falls in the same boat. Conditioning could be key in D.C.
In this piece, CBS identified a potential red flag for 10 NFL contenders, stating that Philadelphia’s defensive turnover could be its undoing.
Tunsil has missed at least one start in seven of his nine NFL seasons. He played in all 17 games last season for Houston, making it two out of three years in which he started every game. Samuel has never played in every game in his NFL seasons. However, outside of his second season (2020), Samuel has missed a combined 10 games in his five other seasons.
Is Tunsil and Samuel’s “injury-prone” tag a bit overblown? Probably. However, it will be difficult for the Commanders to experience the same type of injury luck again next season. As long as quarterback Jayden Daniels remains healthy, the Commanders will always believe they have a chance.
Ultimately, injuries are a concern for every contender.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: What is a potential red flag for Commanders in 2025?