Commanders Bet $100 Million on Odafe Oweh to Fix Worst Defense in NFL

The Washington Commanders made the biggest splash of their free-agency spending spree by agreeing to terms with edge rusher Odafe Oweh on a four-year, $100 million contract that includes $68 million guaranteed, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

The deal, reported Monday, is the centerpiece of Washington's effort to overhaul a defense that ranked last in the NFL in 2025, a season that ended with a painful 5-12 record. The Commanders entered free agency with more than $80 million in projected cap space, and general manager Adam Peters used it aggressively, also re-signing left tackle Laremy Tunsil and adding defensive tackle Tim Settle and cornerback Amik Robertson on the same day.

Oweh's path to this contract is one of the stranger stories of the 2025 season. Selected 31st overall by the Baltimore Ravens in the 2021 draft, he was shut out across his first five games in 2025 before Baltimore traded him to the Los Angeles Chargers on October 7 in exchange for a fifth-round pick and safety Alohi Gilman. The switch flipped something. With the Chargers, Oweh posted 7.5 sacks across 12 regular-season appearances and then delivered 3.0 sacks in the Chargers' wild-card loss to New England. That late surge, from invisible to postseason force, is precisely what Washington is paying for.

The question is whether they overpaid to get it. ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky framed the risk plainly: "Oweh hasn't even really been a full-time starter. This is betting big on his upside or on what you think he might do in the future."

That skepticism carries weight. Bleacher Report's Brad Gagnon labeled Oweh the "Biggest Letdown" for Baltimore in 2025, a designation that still applied even after the trade. Critics also pointed to Washington's recent history of aggressive defensive spending: the Commanders gave defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw a three-year, $45 million deal in 2025 and received little in return.

Now, at 27, Oweh heads to Washington to work under new defensive coordinator Daronte Jones, who will try to channel the pass-rush burst that made Oweh a first-round pick in the first place. The Commanders already have Deatrich Wise Jr. and Drake Jackson returning on new deals, and Dorance Armstrong Jr. is expected back in 2026 after a knee injury cut short what had been a Pro Bowl-caliber season.

The rest of Monday's haul matters too. Tunsil, a five-time Pro Bowl left tackle, re-signed on a deal worth $60.2 million through 2028, anchoring the offensive line protecting quarterback Jayden Daniels. Settle, a fifth-round pick by Washington in 2018 who spent two seasons each with Buffalo and Houston, returns on a three-year, $23 million deal. Robertson, who replaces released cornerback Marshon Lattimore, arrives from Detroit after one interception over 34 games across two seasons.

Washington's spending binge reflects the urgency of a franchise that underperformed badly in 2025 despite Daniels' promise. The Oweh contract is either the kind of upside bet that reshapes a defensive unit or another cautionary tale about overpaying for a highlight reel. With Jones installing a new system and a suddenly loaded edge rotation around him, Oweh will have every opportunity to justify the investment.