Washington

Commanders

Payne suffered his finger injury in the team’s wild card win over the Buccaneers. He was limited in two of three practices last week but appears to have picked up a knee injury in the divisional round win over the Lions. Back-to-back DNPs to open the week is a concerning sign for Payne’s availability, but the team could be exercising caution for their star tackle. We’ll see where things stand come Friday when the Commanders release their final injury report before the weekend.

Ertz is dealing with a rib injury, but Wednesday’s DNP was to allow him to rest said injury — as was the case last week. The veteran tight end isn’t at risk of missing Sunday’s NFC Championship Game against the Eagles and will have some upside as a DFS value against his former team.

Zaccheaus has been limited in back-to-back practices to start the week. The veteran receiver was limited by the same injury in last week’s win over the Lions but appears to be trending in the right direction for Sunday’s NFC Championship Game against the Eagles. We’ll have more clarity on his status on Friday’s final report is released.

Zaccheaus went down with the groin injury early in Washington’s Divisional Round win over the Lions. he did eventually return in the second half, though the veteran wideout was not targeted once over the final 30 minutes. With Dyami Brown breaking out in the playoffs, Zaccheaus appears to be relegated to WR3 duties heading into the Conference Championship Round.

Ertz played through the rib issue last week after receiving a light workout in practice. He will do so again this time around. The veteran tight end caught all five of his targets and scored in Washington’s upset over the Lions and will be heavily involved in the team’s passing attack on Sunday. He remains in the DFS mix as a value play at tight end for the final main slate of the season.

This sounds more like Schefter’s opinion than a known fact, but there’s something to be said for Kingsbury still not interviewing with a team despite multiple requests to speak with the Commanders’ offensive coordinator. Kingsbury, who said he won’t take an interview as long as the Commanders are in the playoffs, also went on record saying he was “very happy” with his current role while adding it “would take a lot” for him to leave Jayden Daniels. The Commanders are one win away from their first Super Bowl appearance since 1991. If they advance past the Eagles next week, it’s possible Kingsbury won’t speak to a team regarding a head coaching vacancy until after the Super Bowl.

With Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson the hottest coaching names on the market, it makes sense that alignment-seeking front offices would turn Lance Newmark into a hot GM candidate. Newmark also has an interview lined up with the Raiders. This could be read as a sign that the Jets have moved to Aaron Glenn as the team’s No. 1 choice for their head coaching vacancy. Newmark originally interviewed with the Jets on January 11th.

As you’d expect, Lynn is yet another addition to this search with Cowboys ties, as he was their running backs coach in 2005-2006 during the Bill Parcells Era. Jerry Jones really seems to be going out of his way to make sure he hires somebody who either coached for the team previously or played for them during his ownership tenure. ESPN’s Adam Schefter also broached Lynn as a possibility on their Sunday pre-game show. It’s hard to argue that the Commanders have run the ball well in 2025, but it isn’t like Lynn gets to pack up Jayden Daniels with him.

Brutal. Lost in the sauce of Washington’s return to the NFC Championship Game was the early loss of Cosmi, who was confirmed to have suffered a torn ACL on Sunday. The fourth-year guard has been a staple along The Commanders’ offensive line, starting in 49-of-57 career games while appearing in all 17 regular season games in each of the last two seasons. Cosmi signed a four-year extension with the Commanders this offseason and will now look to rehab ahead of the 2025 campaign. There’s a good chance his recovery will stretch into the early portion of next season.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise. Kingsbury’s stock was already on the rise after he elevated the Commanders to a top-five offensive season and a 12-5 record in his first season as their play-caller. His performance in the NFC Divisional Round that saw the Commanders upset the No. 1 seeded Lions undoubtedly boosted his stock even more, with other teams still in the hunt for a head coach. Kingsbury wouldn’t be the first offensive-minded candidate the Cowboys have pursued this offseason, as they recently wrapped up an interview with former offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, who is expected to be in the running for Dallas’ head coaching vacancy for some time. Kingsbury also has requests from the Bears and Saints for interviews but has not met with either team at this time.