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Top 50 Washington Commanders

The WashingtonCommanders can be traced back to 1932, when they were originally the Boston Braves, a nickname that existed one year before they became the Boston Redskins.  They relocated to Washington, keeping the Redskins name in 1937, and they won the NFL Championship in both 1937 and 1942 on the strength of Sammy Baugh.

They struggled throughout the 1950s and 1960s, slowly reascending in the 1970s, and winning two Super Bowls in the 1980s (XVII & XXII) and a third in the early 90s (XXVI) on the back of the Redskins Offensive Line, the famed "Hogs."

Prior to the 2020 season, societal pressure caused them to dismiss the Redskins nickname, and after two years as the Washington Football Team, they were rechristened the Washington Commanders


Note: Football lists are based on an amalgamation of tenure, traditional statistics, advanced statistics, playoff statistics, and post-season accolades.

This list is active up until the end of the 2022 Season.

A late round draft pick by the Washington Redskins from Loyola Marymount in 1951, Gene Brito would play on both sides of the ball in his first two seasons.   The End was certainly solid in his role, but by 1953, Brito was focused on the Left Defensive End position and was chosen for his first Pro Bowl.

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In the 2003 NFL Draft, the Washington Redskins coveted an elite Offensive Lineman, which was precisely what they obtained in their Third Overall Pick, with Chris Samuels of Alabama.
Pat Fischer may have been a great player at Nebraska, but standing at 5’ 9” made NFL scouts feel that he was too small to play in the NFL.  He fell to the 17thRound in the 1961 Draft, where the St. Louis Cardinals took the Cornerback.
While everyone (and rightfully so) thinks of John Riggins in a Redskins uniform.  That wasn’t where he started, as the former Kansas Jayhawk was a New York Jet for the first five years of his career.
Jeff Bostic was an All-ACC Center at Clemson, but his work in college did not parlay into a draft selection.  The Washington Redskins signed him as an Undrafted Free Agent (1980), and it would become one of the best signings in franchise history.
An All-American at Georgia, Champ Bailey was the first defensive player (Seventh Overall) in the 1999 Draft, when he was taken by the Washington Redskins.
London Fletcher is one of the most durable players ever.  He is one of a few players who have played in 250 straight games, and he has a whopping 2,039 career Combined Tackles.  The last part of his career was with the Washington Redskins (2007-13), and it was easily the best part of his career.
Wayne Millner was a star of some phenomenal Notre Dame teams, and in 1936, the Boston Redskins took him in the Eighth Round of the NFL Draft.
Playing his entire career with the Washington Redskins, Jerry Smith was one of the new breed of Tight Ends who was redefining the position.  Smith was a more than an adequate blocker, but he was catching passes at the same rate of Wide Receivers, a trait that was not common in the 1960s and 1970s.  Smith would help the Redskins reach their…
An alumni of Penn State, Chuck Drazenovich, played his entire pro career with the Washington Redskins (1950-59).
Ryan Kerrigan was the 2010 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, and you would expect from a player who won such an accolade, he went high in the draft.  The Washington Redskins took him 16thOverall, where he became their starting Right Defensive End as a rookie.
The San Diego Chargers believed that they would not be able to afford their former First Round Pick, Jim Lachey, and they shipped him to the Los Angeles Raiders before the 1988 Season.  His stay in City of Angels was brief, as, after one game, they traded the Tackle to the Washington Redskins for Jay Shroeder.  It is evident who won the…
Mike Bass was a late-round pick in 1967, and after playing for the Detroit Lions briefly, he was signed by the Washington Redskins for the 1969 Season, which would be the team where he established himself as a bona fide NFL player.
Dexter Manley came to Washington as a Fifth Round Pick from Oklahoma State, and on the field, he would quickly exceed expectations.
From the University of Pittsburgh, Mark May was a First Round Pick (20thOverall) by the Washington Redskins, and was an original "Hogs," a term coined by Offensive Line Coach Joe Bugel, the year after May was drafted.
A member of the Los Angeles Rams for his first four years of his professional career, Diron Talbert joined the Washington Redskins in 1971, where he would have a much greater role.
Wilber Marshall was a key component of the Chicago Bears’ 1985 Super Bowl Championship team, and the season after he led the NFL in Approximate Value with 23.  Marshall proved himself to be an upper-end Linebacker, and he signed with the Washington Redskins as a Free Agent in 1988.
Undrafted out of the University of Maryland in 1979, Neal Olkewicz signed with the Washington Redskins, making the team. As it turned out, Olkewicz did not just make the roster; he became a starting Linebacker for the Redskins for over a decade.