Preston Smith ’s arrival raises a bigger question than his role: why do the Washington Commanders enter 2025 with the NFL’s oldest roster?

Their 53-man group averages 28.1 years — the first time since 2012 that any team has crossed that mark. The previous highs were the 2023 New Orleans Saints and 2018 Las Vegas Raiders at 27.4.

Washington now has 25 players aged 29 or older, with veterans like Smith, Chase Edmonds , Bobby Wagner , Von Miller , and Zach Ertz stacked onto a lineup already leaning gray.

Experience brings value: leadership, situational savvy, and locker room teaching. That showed in 2024, when they ranked top 10 on third-down defense and survived countless one-score battles.

At the center of this odd build sits 24-year-old Jayden Daniels . The reign

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