How Stefon Diggs to the Commanders shakes up the tight NFC East race

It turns out the Washington Commanders weren’t done with their offseason spending frenzy. They landed on Stefon Diggs on Wednesday in an effort to give Jayden Daniels a wide receiver duo that just might shake up the NFC East hierarchy. The Commanders now have Terry McLaurin and Diggs as the top two receiving threats for Daniels, meaning this offense just got a tad better. Diggs, despite some of his attitude problems over the years, is still a respectable receiver in the NFL. Landing him could help a team that has hopes of going on a playoff run achieve that. 

Diggs, whose reported deal is $12 million for one year, has had seven 1,000-plus receiving yard seasons in the last eight years. The only year he didn’t reach 1,000 receiving yards was when he was hurt during his lone season in Houston. That type of production is invaluable. When you look at what the Commanders will face this season, they absolutely need as much offensive firepower as possible. Adding Diggs isn’t a means to an end, but it’s a step in the right direction for a team that has high expectations. 

How the Washington Commanders climbed up the NFC East totem pole

The Philadelphia Eagles have been running the NFC East division. Since 2021, Philly has won the division three times, including the last two years. For the most part too, they haven’t had much threatening them in the division either. The Commanders were slammed with injuries last year, most notably Daniels, being held to just seven games. This year, they should be in a much better position. 

I’m not saying the Eagles are falling off, but if there’s any year for the Commanders to steal the NFC title from their grasp, it’s this year. It’s hard to go all in on the Dallas Cowboys because every year they have playoff aspirations only to come up short. This year’s Dallas team looks really good on paper, there’s no denying that, but are they good enough to beat the Eagles and even outlast the Commanders?

Washington didn’t really need offensive reinforcements, though it doesn’t hurt either. They desperately need help in the secondary, and until they get that, they’ll be a question mark of whether they can compete in the NFC East. That said, if they stay healthy, they may just be able to score enough points to not let their secondary be a major problem.

Why David Blough has the ultimate pressure for the Washington Commanders

The Commanders’ success is largely going to come from what happens on the field. But behind the scenes, it will come down to David Blough and how he manages this offense. He’s a first-year coordinator, which comes with its challenges itself. Realistically, the Commanders shouldn’t have too much of a learning curve, but Kliff Kingsbury was known to be an offensive savant. How much will not having his mind on the sideline affect the flow of Daniels and this offense, regardless of Diggs’ addition?

As good as Diggs is, is he truly enough for Washington this year? Do they need more to bolster their chances of getting to the playoffs? The Commanders are basically right smack in the middle between the easiest and toughest schedules in the NFL this season, so they shouldn’t struggle too much. Part of the benefit from their run to the NFC title game a couple years ago was that they had a fairly easy schedule. 

That won’t come into play in 2026, but it makes you wonder if they don’t get to the playoffs this year, what happened? Maybe it’s a change in offensive coordinators. The Commanders lucked into Kingsbury ahead of the 2024 season, and he was the perfect coach for rookie Daniels. Now they have Blough. His scheme will determine just how good this offense will be. Diggs is a plus, but we’ve seen coordinators struggle with talented players. The Commanders are hoping they don’t fall down that trap.

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