Five Areas Washington Needs To Attack For Them To Enjoy This NFL Off-Season
Washington heads into this free agency offseason period with an abundance of assets, including their current base salary cap space of $91.5M. New GM Adam Peters has a couple of priorities to address on this roster, some more obvious than others. The good thing is that should Peters not choose to be a big spender, the team still has plenty of draft picks at its disposal.
Let's look at a few priorities for Washington and how they can address them this offseason.
Washington's New Franchise Quarterback
Let's start with the obvious and get this topic out of the way. Washington desperately needs a franchise quarterback, one of their own. It would be an easy temporary fix to look at some of the quarterback retreads available on the market that could make the team competitive, but Peters could be aspiring to bring Washington out of the shadow of a mediocre competitive roster. And he should.
With the second pick in the NFL draft, they are in prime position to take one of the top-2 QBs in this class. Top-2 picks don't usually guarantee a franchise player, but Washington chose the perfect year to have one. As of now, Caleb Williams is seen as the consensus QB1 and is expected to go to Chicago because of that. Nothing is set in stone, but it appears Ryan Poles and the Chicago Bears are heading that way. This would leave Washington with the option of taking either Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels.
Both Maye and Daniels are clearly capable candidates of becoming Washington's next franchise quarterback, especially with the hires of the offensive coaching staff. To me, Maye has solidified himself as a top-two quarterback in this class. In all honesty, I wasn't the highest on him early on in the process.
However, after reviewing his tape a few months ago, I came to the conclusion that Washington will be getting a couple of calls for pick two. Maye seems to have the frame, arm, and tools that would make him a top QB in any other draft.
Maybe there is an off-chance that if Justin Fields is actually on the way out, Chicago may have Maye higher on their board after factoring in interviews and the "getting to know" portion. Maybe Caleb Williams, who is without an agent, decides to pull an Elway or Eli to return home to Washington. Maybe they can roll with Fields for another year (or longer). That's a lot of Maye-bes. However, the most realistic scenario at this moment is Caleb and Drake going one and two overall, respectively.
Offensive Line
Now to address the next biggest question on the roster: the offensive line unit. Out of everyone who started for Washington on the O-line this past season, only right guard Sam Cosmi seemed to cement himself. Every other position needs to be addressed along the line, and changes are already being made. LT Charles Leno was recently released, which saved Washington almost $12M in cap space. Leno was far from the worst offensive lineman in DC, but the team clearly needed to go in a different direction.
Tyron Smith was also released by the Cowboys this past week, so a replacement option becomes available for Washington at the LT position. There are also a handful of solid left tackles in this year's draft. Some Day Two OTs that Washington could look at include Jordan Morgan, Kiran Amegadjie, Javon Foster, Patrick Paul, and Blake Fisher. I prefer Washington to target one in free agency or even make a move for a solidified veteran just because I feel that a lot of these tackles in this class are talented but raw. You don't want "raw" protecting your new investment at QB. In my opinion, signing Tyron Smith is their priority.
RT also needs an upgrade, which could be tricky because Andrew Wylie is still under contract. However, he does offer some "position flexibility," which some Washington fans are tired of after Ron Rivera's tenure. But there are not too many other options unless Peters and company decide they would rather eat dead cap space than keep him on the roster. He could offer some depth at RT or be moved inside to left guard since Washington has a hole there as well.
Another position that Washington needs to address along the offensive line is center. Nick Gates is also expected to be released with a post-June 1st designation. 2023 third-round pick Ricky Stromberg from Arkansas was expected to be in contention as a key piece when he was drafted, but so far, it seems he isn't ready to do so yet. The good thing about Stromberg is that he also offers position flexibility, so he can be another option to play guard inside as well.
There are a few veteran centers on the free agent market, so that could be a route they decide to take at center. There are also a few NFL-ready centers in the draft, but who knows how the board will fall and if that even fits in with Adam Peters' game plan. Nonetheless, some of my favorite IOLs in this draft class who can play center include Jackson Powers-Johnson, Zach Frazier, Sedrick Van Pran, and Drake Nugent.
Update: Washington has signed both G Nick Allegretti to three years, $16M and Center Tyler Biadasz to three years, $30M. Biadasz was an amazing pickup, as the former Cowboy has only allowed 4 sacks in his last 1300 pass blocking snaps.
Linebacker
The next group that Washington needs to address is the Linebacker position. After years of poor linebacker play despite Ron Rivera being a former linebacker and linebacker coach, Washington is still looking to find an answer. Former first-round pick Jamin Davis has shown flashes and glimpses of his upside, but in the final years of his contract, Jamin needs to provide more than flashes and glimpses.
Washington has the opportunity to pick up Davis' fifth-year option or decline it by May 2nd. It doesn't appear likely that they will, and the off-field issues aren't helping. However, zero of the five eligible fifth-year candidates in the 2023 cycle were picked up.
So what do they do now? There are a few solid inside linebackers among both the free agent and incoming draft class. Washington could decide to get a veteran free agent like Eric Kendricks, Jordan Hicks or Lavonte David, or maybe even Bobby Wagner. Wagner played under Dan Quinn in Seattle when Quinn was their DC, so that is a viable option should the interest be mutual.
There are also young ILB free agents like Patrick Queen, Devin White, and Willie Gay Jr., but who knows what kind of contract demands they are looking for. I also expect Willie to stay in KC and I would not be surprised if Queen heads to Seattle with Mike MacDonald.
The draft is another option. It's filled with studs like Edgerrin Cooper and Payton Wilson, as well as Junior Colson, Jeremiah Trotter Jr, and Marist Liufau. Washington has multiple picks in both Days Two and Three, so they will have more than enough opportunities to select one. I also would not be surprised to see if Davis is moved to another team for possible late round compensation, especially if Washington has already decided that they won't pick up his fifth-year option.
Another option is Azeez Al-Shaair, a former undrafted linebacker who has a career year with Tennessee. Believe it or not, he is yet another player connected to Adam Peters, which could make it a value acquisition. Peters was in the San Francisco front office when Azeez was signed as an undrafted free agent before heading to Tennessee. Al-Shaair had 163 tackles last season including nine tackles for a loss.
What do I want to/think should happen? I think a Wagner/Quinn reunion is in play. Wagner or not, I think signing a veteran Mike linebacker on a short-term contract and drafting an ILB in the draft fits Adam Peters' model of "building through the draft and supplementing in free agency".
Update: Washington has made a great signing in acquiring Frankie Luvu in Free Agency. He was signed to a 3-year/$36M deal, which is great value in my opinion. He has an 84.1 PFF grade since 2021, which ranks sixth among all LBs. Don't be surprised if they add another, given Davis' situation.
Wide Receiver/Running Back
With both contracts expiring this offseason, Washington has questions to answer about offensive weapons and 2024 free agents, Antonio Gibson and Curtis Samuel. Samuel started off his Washington tenure often injured, but he ended it showing a solid level of consistency and production.
Gibson had an opposite trajectory. He started off his Washington career hot but has trended downward due to fumbling issues and inefficiency. If Peters is indeed looking for a fresh start, both of them returning could be unlikely, and there is a chance that neither of them does.
Curtis could garner more money than Washington is willing to pay, especially since he is getting older and already has injury concerns. However, a short-term deal is not out of the question, considering he was the most consistent weapon for Washington last season and is loved by his teammates.
It is also likely that Washington targets a WR with size, as they don't have any impact WRs over 6 feet and need a red-zone target and another boundary WR. Brian Johnson and Kliff Kingsbury have featured big WRs, but Kliff's offense also featured short-yardage WRs, so who knows what kind of WR they target? It does seem likely they will add one where they bring Curtis back or not. Some WRs in the draft that they could target include Xavier Legette, Brenden Rice, Malik Washington, Ainias Smith, and Tahj Washington.
However, it is hard for me to see Gibson returning due to the number of RBs available in free agency and late in the draft. Robinson seems locked into a substantial role for another year, but a change-of-pace back with receiving skills would be needed in a Kliff Kingsbury offense.
D'Andre Swift is an option in free agency to fill that role and Brian Johnson being the Assistant Head Coach in Washington makes that a possibility. Swift had a career year in that role under Johnson in Philly, totaling 1263 yards from scrimmage and 6 total touchdowns.
There are also a few viable options in the draft should they choose to supplement, especially on Day 3. My personal favorites are Tyrone Tracy, Isaac Guerendo, and Bucky Irving Jr. I think they are both capable of providing that change of pace to the offense while also posing a threat to make a big play on the ground and catching out of the backfield.
Update: Washington made another solid signing in bringing in Austin Ekeler on a cheap, short-term deal for two years and $11.43M (maximum with incentives). He brings to the team is short-field burst, vision, receiving skills, and his most underrated but appreciated trait: his work ethic.
Edge
Unlike WR and RB, this is a position that will 110% be addressed by going after a top-tier player at the Edge position. There are a few big-name players at that position in both free agency and the draft, so there is a possibility that Washington signs one in free agency and then targets one within their first few picks in the draft. Some big names in free agency including Jonathan Greenard and Bryce Huff, plus the tag-and-trade candidates with Brian Burns and Josh Allen.
Some big names in the draft that are likely to be available for the Commanders for their multiple Day 3 picks include Chop Robinson, Darius Robinson, Adisa Isaac, Bralen Trice, Gabriel Murphy, and Austin Booker. Some draft analysts have compared Chop Robinson to Micah Parsons, so this could be the closest Dan Quinn could get to reuniting with Micah.
Even if Chop doesn't make it to 36, this class is deep at Edge and Washington has the premium picks to take one of the best. Taking an edge in the draft and signing one in free agency is another example of Peters' mission of "building through the draft and supplementing with free agency".
Update: Washington has re-united Dan Quinn with underrated former Dallas defensive end, Dorance Armstrong. He was signed to a 3-year/$33M deal with the potential to turn into a $45M deal with incentives. This adds more man-power to a front that lost both Chase Young and Montez Sweat. Look for Washington to add another Edge if the opportunity presents itself.
If the Commanders address these five main issues, Josh Harris should have no issue filling those seats come Fall 2024. Follow me on X (@CommanderSZN) for all things sports, especially Commanders.
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