Is it too early to declare free agency winners and losers? Absolutely! But we’ve been doing it since before it started, for the first hour and every hour since. Fans know (or think they know) what their team needs, and the Washington Commanders had plenty of needs heading into the new league year. They followed an appearance in the NFC Championship Game with a disappointing 5-12 season and a pair of new coordinators. Dan Quinn remains the head coach and enters his third season with general manager Adam Peters in charge of the recalibration.
There were a lot of things that went wrong last season, from injuries to older signings that didn’t work out and coaching conflicts that led to major changes after it thankfully ended. Adam Peters’ recalibration strategy put him in the spotlight, with many fans calling this offseason a hit or miss. Would Peters open managing partner (owner) Josh Harris’ wallet and spend big, or would he go back to “saving money” in free agency?
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Those questions began to be answered on Day 1 of the legal tampering window when the Commanders signed DE Odafe Oweh to the Chargers to a 4-year, $100 million contract, while being outbid by some of their top targets like DE Jaelan Phillips and WR Alec Pierce. Peters has proven during his three years in Washington that he has a price on players, and he will walk away from deals if they exceed that limit. The first day of free agency is always loaded with overpayments, and some of the “smart” teams wait until desperate teams reset the market to find real bargains. But there is room for both strategies when your available salary cap is in the top 5 in the league and you have significant needs throughout the roster.
Day 2 legal tampering slowed considerably across the league, with teams continuing to sign their own players before they became free agents. The Commanders added LB Leo Chenal on Tuesday and increased signings yesterday before the new league year began at 4 pm ET. Adam Peters agreed to terms with OLB K’Lavon Chaisson, TE Chig Okonkwo and S Nick Cross before the deadline, and added DE Charles Omenihu last night.
Fixing the defense!
NFL Network’s Brian Baldinger said the Commanders could have added 5 starters on defense over the last three days, and fixing a broken defense was a clear priority. New defensive coordinator Daronte Jones was a big winner in free agency. Seven of the eight free agents added from other teams play defense, and Jones has the opportunity to run his own scheme, with his own players for the first time. Dan Quinn took over Joe Whitt Jr’s defense last season, but said Jones will run his own show in Washington.
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The defensive end was ravaged by injuries last season, leading to significant playing time for backups like Jacob Martin and older veterans like Von Miller. Washington worked hard at the position and reportedly also inquired about Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson before leaving for the Ravens. The pressure on the QB will be improved, and the second level of the defense received help at LB, CB and S, with more to come.
Will offensive help arrive soon?
On offense, the Commanders promoted assistant quarterbacks coach David Blough to offensive coordinator. He replaced Kliff Kingsbury, whose coaching style reportedly fell out of favor with management, leading to a mutual split. Getting Jayden Daniels to play more under center and limiting his injury risk was a top priority after injuries led to him being shut down late in the season. The offense hasn’t received the same attention as the defense, but it was the stronger unit entering the offseason.
Starting center Tyler Biadasz was released and quickly found a new home at a similar salary with the Chargers. Many people assumed Adam Peters had a plan to address the position that included a pending free agent, but fans watched as all the top options, and then other teams grabbed the next tier of options. Nick Allegretti replaced Biadasz after leg injuries ended his season, and is now the projected starter who hasn’t sat well with fans. Peters still has the draft to upgrade the position, but the team only has six picks and most of them are on Day 3.
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One of the biggest moves Adam Peters made during the legal tampering window was securing a new contract for left tackle Laremy Tunsil, adding two more years, while giving his franchise LT another massive payday. Chris Paul took over the left guard position from Brandon Coleman in Week 3 and kept it for the rest of the season. He is a free agent and has attracted interest from other teams. He remains unsigned and left guard is now another open position on the offensive line.
Wide Receiver/Running Back Depth
Washington still has a lot of question marks on offense, and the wide receiver and running back positions have yet to be addressed. The Commanders ended their contract dispute with Terry McLaurin last year, but he caused plenty of drama during training camp and the preseason. Injuries plagued most wide receivers last season, leading to more playing time than anyone wanted to see for players like Chris Moore and Robbie Chosen. Washington swung and missed against Alec Pierce and Romeo Doubs, but they will have to continue searching for talent to pair with McLaurin. Brandon Aiyuk is expected to be released by the 49ers soon, and everyone already has him pegged to join his best friend Jayden Daniels on the Commanders on a 1-year “prove it” deal.
Many running backs found new teams since Monday, but Washington was not one of those teams. Bill Croskey-Merritt is now the only running back signed for this season, and Adam Peters will need to add 3-4 players to the offseason roster. He did not tender restricted free agent Chris Rodriguez Jr, and he was quickly signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars after the new league year began. Austin Ekeler suffered a torn Achilles tendon early last season and is not expected to return. Jeremy McNichols has been Washington’s workhorse for a few seasons, but he also wasn’t re-signed. With Washington leaning heavily on defense in free agency, their No. 7 overall pick could go on offense with Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love and Ohio State WR Carnell Tate as the likely top options.
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Winners and losers
Daronte Jones and the Washington Commanders defense were the clear winners in the first wave of free agency, and he’s getting the influx of talent he desperately needs to implement his new system. Defense has been the problem on this team since Adam Peters and Dan Quinn took over, but rookie phenom Jayden Daniels helped mask that in year one with his storied career.
David Blough and the Washington Commanders offense did not receive the same level of help through free agency, but more players will be added over the next two months. Losing their top wide receiver options wasn’t ideal, and now they’re moving to backup plans. Signing TE Chig Okonkwo was great, but there is a lot of work to be done to build around Jayden Daniels.
Washington Commanders Odds via FanDuel
Winning Super Bowl Odds: +4,500
Odds of winning the NFC: +2,500
Odds of winning the NFC East: +410
Jayden Daniels MVP Odds: +2000
Total regular season wins: Over 7.5 -130, Under 7.5 +110