The Washington Commanders are going to be straight-up dangerous again next season. While they took the league by storm in year one of the Jayden Daniels era, everybody in the league is going to see the juggernaut in the nation's capital coming in 2025.
The addition of wide receiver Deebo Samuel via a trade with the San Francisco 49ers bolstered Washington's receiver core to an elite level. Opposing defenses will have to decide whether to cover Samuel or Terry McLaurin.
But after Saturday, they'll have to factor in another deadly weapon of Daniels'. According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, Washington re-signed tight end Zach Ertz to a one-year, $6.25 million deal which could increase in value to $9 million through incentives. Ertz recorded 654 yards and seven touchdowns in 2024.
Commanders load up on weapons for Jayden Daniels after phenomenal rookie year
After his historic rookie season, Daniels put the entire league on notice and that was with a slim receiving core that topped out with McLaurin and Ertz. Now that he's getting both his top weapons back plus the addition of Samuel, that offense is going to be tough to stop.
Daniels is also good news for Ertz inversely. While he was a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, Ertz logged career highs in yards (1,163) and touchdowns (8) in 2018 with quarterbacks Carson Wentz and Nick Foles after winning Super Bowl LII the season before.
While he probably won't hit those numbers again in 2025, having a stable and versatile presence under center can only benefit his stats and subsequently his career. Ertz is a three-time Pro Bowl selection and will likely draw more targets with defenses having to hone in on Samuel and McLaurin on third-down situations.
His 66 receptions in 2024 were the most he saw since leaving Philadelphia. Ertz spent two seasons as an Arizona Cardinal where he was a key component of that offense but simply did not see the volume he was used to.
Washington is going to have a stacked offense in 2025. Ertz will provide options for Daniels in what will be a critical follow up to the Commanders' surprising resurgence.