Amid a dismal 1-4-1 start in the first six games of 2026, what are some bright spots for the Washington Commanders?

Sonny Styles is the real deal

Styles, drafted seventh in the 2026 NFL Draft, leads the team in combined tackles with 46 (22 solo, 24 assisted) in six games. Styles isn’t just making tackles downfield after big gains. He's also coming up in the run game and defending passes, four passes already. He is tied for second place in tackles for a loss. Styles is not part of the problem.

Jayden Daniels is playing well

Daniels missed ten games in the 2025 season. Yes, he already missed two games this season. Yes, he made a couple of boneheaded errors in judgment the last two weeks. All of that is true and can’t be denied. Yet it’s also undeniable that Daniels, though a brace on his left arm prevents him from fully extending it, is playing well. Though his two significant mental breakdowns cost the Commanders the last two weeks, it’s just as true that Daniels' play put the Commanders in position to win those games. Plain and simple, Jayden Daniels gives Washington a chance to turn around this sad 1-4-1 start to compete for the NFC East championship.

Antonio Williams appears to be a good draft choice

Williams, a third-round pick at 71st overall in the 2026 draft, has caught 18 passes on 26 targets, averaging 3.0 receptions per game. Williams is averaging 11.4 yards per reception in his 205 receiving yards. He has caught 10 first downs and one touchdown. Unfortunately, an 88-yard touchdown reception and run was called back due to a phantom holding call on Dyami Brown. Also last week, Williams was wide open on a fourth-and-2 pass in the middle of the field, and Daniels inexplicably threw the ball out of bounds.

K’Lavon Chaisson has been the best pass rusher so far

Chaisson leads the team with seven quarterback hits. Last week, as the 49ers marched downfield in the first half, Chaisson aggressively forced a Christian McCaffrey fumble that stopped the drive and handed the ball back to the Commanders. Chaisson is also tied for second in tackles for a loss with three. He's been an excellent addition thus far.

CB Amik Robertson has been a free-agent steal

Robertson has brought an aggressiveness to the defensive unit. He is tied for second on the team in combined tackles (40). The 28-year-old corner leads the Commanders with eight passes defended, and he has also forced a fumble. Unfortunately, when Robertson stopped a New York Giants drive with a goal-line interception, he was called for pass interference even though he clearly did not make contact with the receiver while the ball was in the air. That could’ve clinched a win for the Commanders in a game that ended in a tie. Robertson has brought some stability to a cornerback group that needed it.