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Washington Commanders’ Quarter-Century Team: The Most Impactful Players Since 2000

Washington Commanders’ Quarter-Century Team: The Most Impactful Players Since 2000

April 8, 2025 03:34pm

Fact Checked by Jim Tomlin

Few football fans around the Beltway would go out of their way to describe the last quarter-century of Washington Commanders football as anything but a trainwreck. The team’s lone NFC Conference Championship Game berth came last season, and the franchise had six playoff berths to speak of from 2000 to 2024.

That said, there have been plenty of stars to suit up for the club during that stretch, which inspired BetVirginia.com to compile the club’s list of the best players at each position group. We used data from Pro-Football-Reference.com to put together our collective of Commanders to bring you more Virginia sports betting insight.

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Commanders’ Quarter-Century Offense

Position	Player	Years With Team	Approximate Value During Years
QB	Kirk Cousins	2012-2017	43
RB	Clinton Portis	2004-2010	52
WR	Santana Moss	2005-2014	66
WR	Terry McLaurin	2019-Present	53
TE	Chris Cooley	2004-2012	38
OT	Chris Samuels	2000-2009	76
G	Kory Lichtensteiger	2010-2016	37
C	Casey Rabach	2005-2010	42
G	Brandon Scherff	2015-2021	53
OT	Jon Jansen	2000-2008	54

This analysis was assembled for readers at BetVirginia.com, your source for top Virginia sports betting promo codes.

Since 2000, few Washington offensive players have been worth remembering. The only player on that side of the ball to rank in the Commanders’ top 20 for approximate value at Pro Football Reference was offensive tackle Chris Samuels, who ranks 18th all-time for the team with 76 AV in 141 games between 2000 and 2009.

Overall, Samuels ranked ahead of wideout Santana Moss, who had 66 AV in 146 games in Landover from 2005 to 2014. Tackle Jon Jansen (54 AV from 2000 to 2008 and 64 AV total from 1999 to 2008) and guard Brandon Scherff (53 AV from 2015 to 2021) were the next closest in the analytics we gathered.

Washington’s most valuable quarterback this century has been Kirk Cousins, with 43 AV from 2012 to 2017. That low number helps to explain the team’s lack of success over the last quarter-century in the shadows of D.C., where Virginia sportsbook apps are available.

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Commanders’ Quarter-Century Defense

Position	Player	Years With Team	Approximate Value During Years
DE	Phillip Daniels	2004-2010	36
DT	Jonathan Allen	2017-2024	57
DT	Daron Payne	2018-Present	56
DE	Andre Carter	2006-2010	35
LB	Ryan Kerrigan	2011-2020	76
LB	London Fletcher	2007-2013	72
LB	LaVar Arrington	2000-2005	49
CB	Champ Bailey	2000-2003	46
S	Sean Taylor	2004-2007	34
S	LaRon Landry	2007-2011	29
CB	DeAngelo Hall	2008-2017	42

Defensively, the best Commanders in AV from 2000 onwards were linebackers Ryan Kerrigan (76 AV from 2011 to 2020), London Fletcher (72 AV from 2007 to 2013) and defensive tackle Jonathan Allen (57 AV from 2017 to 2024).

The only current defensive player on the list is defensive tackle Daron Payne, who might help boost Washington Commanders Super Bowl odds next season. He has 56 AV to his name from 2018 to the present, meaning the Pro Bowl selection might climb the list in the years ahead, as the only current player wearing burgundy and gold to make the list on defense.

Commanders’ Quarter-Century Special Teams

Position	Player	Years With Team	Approximate Value During Years
K	Dustin Hopkins	2015-2021	18
P	Tress Way	2014-Present	29

As for specialists, the top AV earner from 2000 to 2024 was the team’s current punter, Tress Way. The 10-year veteran has 29 AV between 2014 and now, ranking 133rd all time on the franchise’s leaderboard. Way has played 179 games since 2014, all for Washington, and has never missed a game.

Dustin Hopkins had 18 AV in 93 games with Washington from 2015 to 2021, as the top kicking specialist in the club’s 21st century history.

Who might join this list for the next quarter of a century? The organization will hope to add a candidate this month in the NFL Draft and you can check out our Washington Commanders 2025 NFL draft odds at BetVirginia for our analysis.

USA Today photo by Peter Casey

Author

Christopher Boan

Christopher Boan has been covering sports and sports betting for more than seven years, including stops at ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly and the Green Valley News.

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