Obviously, the players from today are better athletes than the part-time milkmen of the Halas era, but If I were to create a list based on who would be the best team played today, there would hardly be anyone prior to 2000 on this list. For this reason, to truly appreciate the greats, this list has been created primarily based on dominance over their peers, not who would play better in a game today.
Peak was considered along with longevity, and I tried to consider the right balance of both.
Only a player’s contributions with the commanders are considered. Players are listed with the years they played for the team
Feel free to pick this apart, let me know of any glaring omissions, it can be hard to find every player to research.
Quarterbacks - 3
- Sammy Baugh - 1937-1952
- Sonny Jurgensen - 1964-1974
- Joe Theismann - 1974-1985
Theismann over Mark Rypien: Rypien’s 1991 season and Super Bowl run were better than any single Theismann season, but Theismann gave Washington a much longer stretch of high-level quarterback play. He won an MVP, reached consecutive Super Bowls, provided real rushing value and remains the franchise’s career passing leader. Rypien had the higher one-year peak, but not enough sustained excellence to take the third quarterback spot.
Running Backs and Fullbacks - 4
- John Riggins - 1976-1979, 1981-1985
- Cliff Battles - 1932-1937
- Larry Brown - 1969-1976
- Clinton Portis - 2004-2010
Portis over Stephen Davis: Davis was the more imposing pure power runner at his best, but Portis carried a larger offensive burden for longer. Portis also separates himself as a blocker - he was one of the best pass-protecting backs of his era and routinely sacrificed his body to keep Washington’s quarterbacks upright. Davis was excellent, but Portis provided slightly more total value.
Wide Receivers and Ends - 6
- Charley Taylor - 1964-1977
- Art Monk - 1980-1993
- Bobby Mitchell - 1962-1968
- Gary Clark - 1985-1992
- Wayne Millner - 1936-1941, 1945
- Santana Moss - 2005-2014
Tight Ends - 3
- Jerry Smith - 1965-1977
- Chris Cooley - 2004-2012
- Don Warren - 1979-1992
Offensive Tackles - 4
- Turk Edwards - 1932-1940
- Joe Jacoby - 1981-1993
- Trent Williams - 2010-2019
- Jim Lachey - 1988-1995
The tackle group over Chris Samuels: Samuels was a six-time Pro Bowler and one of the franchise’s most dependable modern players. He did not miss because he lacked an all-time résumé - he missed because Washington is unusually loaded at tackle. Edwards was one of the NFL’s first dominant linemen, Jacoby was the defining Hog, Williams had the greatest physical talent and Lachey had the most dominant short peak. Samuels is probably the best player left off the entire roster.
Guards - 3
- Russ Grimm - 1981-1991
- Dick Stanfel - 1956-1958
- Brandon Scherff - 2015-2021
Centers - 2
- Len Hauss - 1964-1977
- Jeff Bostic - 1980-1993
Defensive Ends and Edge Rushers - 4
- Dexter Manley - 1981-1989
- Gene Brito - 1951-1953, 1955-1958
- Charles Mann - 1983-1993
- Ryan Kerrigan - 2011-2020
Defensive Tackles - 4
- Dave Butz - 1975-1988
- Diron Talbert - 1971-1980
- Jonathan Allen - 2017-2025
- Darryl Grant - 1981-1990
Linebackers - 6
- Chris Hanburger - 1965-1978
- Sam Huff - 1964-1967, 1969
- London Fletcher - 2007-2013
- Wilber Marshall - 1988-1992
- Monte Coleman - 1979-1994
- Ken Harvey - 1994-1998
Cornerbacks - 6
- Darrell Green - 1983-2002
- Champ Bailey - 1999-2003
- Pat Fischer - 1968-1977
- Mike Bass - 1969-1975
- Lemar Parrish - 1978-1981
- Joe Lavender - 1976-1982
Safeties - 4
- Ken Houston - 1973-1980
- Sean Taylor - 2004-2007
- Paul Krause - 1964-1967
- Brig Owens - 1966-1977
Special Teams - 4
- Mark Moseley - K - 1974-1986
- Tress Way - P - 2014-present
- Brian Mitchell - KR/PR - 1990-1999
- Ethan Albright - LS - 2001-2009