August 31, 2026
Nathan Ray Seebeck/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Commanders will be without starting LT Laremy Tunsil (78) Week 1, and possibly also starting C Nick Allegretti (67).
The Eagles' Week 1 opponent is the Washington Commanders, who will be without a whole slew of their most important players for the opener. Let's recap:
• LT Laremy Tunsil: Tunsil tore his triceps and will be out for a chunk of the regular season. He is arguably the best player on Commanders' roster. As noted above, the Eagles play the Commanders Week 1. But their other matchup with Washington is also in the first half of the season, in Week 8. Tunsil will definitely miss that Week 1 matchup, and probably also Week 8.
When Tunsil went down, the Commanders didn't have much in the way of ideal options to fill in for Tunsil at LT. They settled on Brandon Coleman, who was in a camp battle with Chris Paul for the starting LG spot. Coleman started 12 games for the Commanders at LT in 2024. He also started three games at LT when Tunsil got hurt last season.
The Commanders were likely hoping that Coleman, a 2024 early third-round pick, would win the starting LG job, Instead, the Commanders will have less than ideal outcomes at LT and LG as a result of Tunsil's injury, with Coleman at LT and Paul at LG.
Earlier this offseason we had Tunsil on our "All NFC East team." He was the only Commanders player to make it, on offense or defense. If there were one player the Commanders could least afford to lose to injury other than Jayden Daniels, it was pretty clearly Tunsil.
• C Nick Allegretti: This offseason the Commanders cut Tyler Biadasz, who certainly wasn't a world-beater but was a solid enough starting center. They then moved Allegretti to center, full-time. Allegretti wasn't really even a good guard (or a starting one at that), and yet the Commanders opted to put more responsibility on his plate.
On the first day of camp, Allegretti suffered a calf injury, and hasn't practiced since, meaning he hasn't been able to get much-needed reps at his new position. The Commanders have since cycled through a number of other guys at center, most notably Julian Good-Jones, who at one point was the most common first-team center during camp, and who the team cut over the weekend.
The only real center the Commanders have on the roster other than Allegretti is sixth-round rookie Matt Gulbin, who has not been able to convince the Commanders staff to consistently rep with the first-team offense.
The Commanders are likely to make a move for a center if Allegretti can't play by Week 1, but it feels like they're screwed at center even if he can.
• CB Trey Amos: Amos suffered a fractured fibula Week 10 last season, and started 2026 training camp on the PUP list. He was activated from PUP on August 7th, but he promptly injured his ankle, and has been out since. The Commanders placed him on injured reserve (designated for return) at 53-man cutdowns.
The Commanders were counting on Amos to be their top cornerback heading into 2026, and he has gotten almost no practice time so far this offseason. He'll miss at least the first four games of the season. The Commanders' starters at corner will be Mike Sainristil, Amik Robertson, and Rasul Douglas (?).
• EDGE Dorance Armstrong: Armstrong had 5.5 sacks in 7 games last season before a torn ACL ended his season. There is an argument to be made that he is their best edge defender. He was suspended for one game as a result of a 2025 arrest on misdemeanor charges of assault and resisting arrest. He won't play Week 1.
• iDL Jer'Zhan Newton: Newton suffered a torn pectoral muscle and will miss a big chunk of the season. Newton hasn't lived up to the expectations of being a 2024 second-round pick largely due to injuries, but he did finish fourth on the team last season with 5 sacks and the team was hoping he could make a leap in his third season. The Commanders already have a shaky interior D-line rotation, as is.
• EDGE Deatrich Wise: Wise was part of the Commanders' defensive line rotation to begin their 2025 season, but he suffered a quadriceps tear, and missed the entire season. He has still not yet recovered from that injury and will begin the 2026 season on the PUP list.
• RB Jeremy McNichols: McNichols suffered a quad strain in camp, and was placed on injured reserve (designated for return). He's a pass catcher out of the backfield who has also returned kicks.
• TE Justin Joly: Joly was a player I liked during the pre-draft process. I had him as a fourth-round target. He had consistent production over a four-year career at UConn and NC State, and was a tough matchup for opposing safeties because of his high-point ability, and because he does not go down willingly after the catch.
The Broncos selected him in the fifth round, and then cut him because he missed time during camp with an injury, and because the Broncos didn't think he was ready to play as a rookie.
Joly had an 88-yard TD reception in the preseason, although it was on a coverage bust:
The Eagles already have one tight end in Eli Stowers who is not yet ready to play in real games. They don't need another unready TE occupying a roster spot. They have a more immediate need for a solid veteran tight end who can play... right now. Unfortunately, an obvious candidate just doesn't really exist among the cuts around the league, at least that I can see.
But if Joly clears waivers, I might throw some extra money at him to join the Eagles' practice squad to develop for the future.
• QB Will Levis: Levis is 6'4, 229, he has a big arm, and he can run around a little bit. There's talent there, and he was not exactly drafted into the best situation in Tennessee. On the downside, he has had some of the more ridiculous lowlights of the last decade.
The Eagles already have had a weird, non-sensical offseason in their handling of the backup quarterbacks, and they still have to get rid of one of them. I'm certainly not suggesting they add one to the mess they have on their active roster. But if Levis clears waivers is he worth a spot on the practice squad, just to get a look? Sure, why not?
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