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Offseason In Review: Washington Commanders

September 5th, 2024 at 9:42pm CST by Sam Robinson

Ron Rivera became one of the more obvious lame ducks in recent NFL history last year. A new owner taking over, along with the Commanders’ eight-game losing streak to close last season, made it easy to predict wholesale changes. Josh Harris made them, tapping into the 49ers’ success by hiring John Lynch‘s right-hand man to lead his football operation. How Washington filled its HC and OC chairs generated more intrigue, and the Adam Peters–Dan Quinn duo did not leave too many pieces in place from Rivera’s final Commanders lineup.

Coaching/front office:

Although Harris brought in Rick Spielman and former Golden State Warriors GM Bob Myers to help the Commanders find a new football ops leader, the team made a down-the-middle hire. Peters joined the 49ers shortly after the Lynch-Kyle Shanahan regime started, and the recent San Francisco assistant GM certainly comes from a franchise that has sustained success in rather unique ways. That success certainly helped Peters’ cause in beating out Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham for the job.

The 49ers have managed to assemble a steady Super Bowl contender despite one of the worst draft decisions in NFL history. Trading two future first-round picks and a third-rounder to climb up for Trey Lance could have ruined the Lynch-Shanahan regime; the 49ers withstanding Lance’s failure may say more about Shanahan’s abilities than the front office’s, but Lynch, Peters and ex-staffer-turned-Titans GM Ran Carthon played key roles as well. Peters declined Titans and Cardinals interviews last year, and after Chargers and Raiders requests, zeroed in on the Commanders gig.

Harris offered Peters full control of football ops; not every GM position features that power. Washington’s last setup featured a head coach carrying final say, but Peters will report directly to Harris. The 45-year-old exec has three Super Bowl rings from his tenures as a Patriots scout and Broncos scouting director. Peters’ scouting history became relevant quickly, with Washington’s No. 2 overall pick — along with the selections obtained in the Montez Sweat and Chase Young trades — made the job appealing. Rivera did not enjoy these luxuries upon being hired by Dan Snyder, and the team could not make a jump after its 2020 NFC East title season.

That season came with multiple asterisks, as Washington won the division with a 7-9 record thanks in part to Dak Prescott‘s ankle injury and Doug Pederson‘s curious decision to yank Jalen Hurts from a winnable season finale. Rivera’s team completed seven- and eight-win seasons in 2021 and ’22, but the quarterback issue that has plagued Washington since Kirk Cousins‘ free agency defection was too much to overcome.

Dwayne Haskins arriving in Bruce Allen‘s final draft as honcho hamstrung Rivera, whose team passed on Justin Herbert and Tua Tagovailoa in 2020 due to Haskins’ presence. Acquisitions Ryan Fitzpatrick, Carson Wentz and Sam Howell did not move the needle for the franchise, with the Howell confidence being rather interesting — given Rivera’s tenuous grip on the job last year — after the team made aggressive QB pursuits in 2022.

The former Super Bowl HC will give way to Quinn, who brought in a host of his former players to help on defense and offense. Quinn, however, may have been the Commanders’ third choice. The team pushed back on this notion, but it is widely known the club chased Lions OC Ben Johnson. Once Johnson hopped off the HC carousel early for a second straight year, the Commanders are believed to have offered the job to Mike Macdonald. A six-year Seahawks offer swayed the Ravens’ DC out of the Mid-Atlantic region, leaving Quinn — an HC carousel veteran who rebuilt his stock in Dallas.

Quinn, 54 next week, left Dallas after a dreadful defensive performance in the Cowboys’ wild-card loss, but he had immediately elevated a unit that surrendered the most points in franchise history in 2020. Quinn’s defense ranked in the top five in points allowed in each of his three seasons in Dallas, as he completed a rebound — after his Falcons tenure featured a steady decline post-Super Bowl LI — that gave him some options in recent years. The Broncos did pass on Quinn to hire Nathaniel Hackett in a regrettable 2022 move, but the Cowboys’ DC left the 2023 hiring derby early. Quinn’s defense sustaining its success without Trevon Diggs helped the play-caller’s case, as DaRon Bland set an NFL record with five pick-sixes.

Whitt loomed as a Cowboys DC frontrunner as well, but after following Quinn from Atlanta to Dallas, Whitt accepted an offer to head to Washington. The Cowboys’ defensive play-caller for three seasons, Quinn handed Whitt that responsibility. This will be Whitt’s first crack at this role at any level. The Cowboys blocked Quinn from taking staffers Al Harris and Lunda Wells with him. Unlike Whitt, Kingsbury has no history with Quinn. It also took some maneuvering to convince the former Cardinals HC to head east.

Kingsbury, who spent last season as USC’s quarterbacks coach, backtracked on a commitment to be the Raiders’ OC. He quickly emerged as the frontrunner for the Commanders. Minority owner Magic Johnson is believed to have played a key role in convincing Kingsbury to bail on Las Vegas. Between that and the Commanders ending up with the quarterback Antonio Pierce wanted in the draft, an interconference rivalry that peaked in the early 1980s may reignite.

Drawing more interest than he did following his Cardinals ouster, Kingsbury comes to Washington after an inconsistent Arizona stint. Although the former Texas Tech HC received criticism throughout his Cardinals tenure, Kyler Murray received two original-ballot Pro Bowl nods — beating out Tom Brady in 2020 — during his first three seasons. Kingsbury, 45, coached top-eight offenses in those seasons and helmed the Cards to their first playoff berth since 2015, doing so largely without the services of DeAndre Hopkins and J.J. Watt. That regime’s 2022 unraveling injects some concern into Kingsbury’s status, but it certainly was not all bad in Arizona.

While Rivera is out, the two ex-GMs he brought with him — Mayhew and Hurney — remain on staff. Mayhew, a former Washington cornerback-turned-GM, is in place as an advisor to Peters; Hurney, a two-time Panthers GM, is a Maryland native who began his front office career under Super Bowl-winning Washington GM Bobby Beathard in San Diego. He holds an advisory position as well. Williams had previously spent time in Washington’s front office under Allen. After being moved to the side early in Rivera’s tenure, the former Super Bowl MVP is back in the mix. Newmark spent 25 years with the Lions but will make the jump for a second-in-command post.

Peters spoke with Bill Belichick, his former boss, about the job; however, this fell short of a formal interview. Harris is not believed to have coveted a workflow setup in which a coach resides atop the personnel pyramid. Harris also spoke with Robert Kraft about the legendary HC in December; Kraft is not believed to have given glowing references. While Belichick may well be in the NFC East next year, Washington is the only team to which he has not been closely tied following this offseason’s hiring outcomes.

Free agency additions:

Six of these free agency additions played for Quinn previously. Wagner dates back to the HC’s Seattle days, while Fowler played with Quinn in Atlanta and Dallas. Among the ex-Quinn charges, two former Cowboys are in place as the best bets to be multiyear starters from this group.

Biadasz became the NFL’s sixth active center with an eight-figure AAV, joining Lloyd Cushenberry as 2024 free agents who entered this club. Quinn observed Biadasz become a quick study, rising from fourth-round pick to three-year starter. Ranking eighth in run block win rate in 2022 (Tony Pollard‘s Pro Bowl season), Biadasz started 53 games with Dallas. He joins Allegretti, Andrew Wylie and Sam Cosmi as O-line starters on veteran contracts.

One of the Cowboys’ answers after their Randy Gregory negotiation combusted in 2022, Armstrong fared well as a rotational edge rusher over the past two years. PFR’s No. 21 free agent, Armstrong amassed 16 sacks over the past two seasons and got there despite starting just three games. Armstrong undoubtedly benefited from the attention paid to other Cowboy rushers, and while he did not ran inside the top 60 in pressures in either season, the Commanders bet on a Quinn cog who is going into his age-27 season.

It will be interesting to see how Armstrong holds up as a full-time starter, as this will be a big jump for the former Cowboys fourth-rounder. Fowler, 30, combined for 10 sacks in two Cowboys seasons and was more effective as a rotational piece than a high-priced Falcons DE.

Tracing Ekeler’s value drop is interesting. The NFL values three-down running backs, and Ekeler led the league in touchdowns in back-to-back seasons. Outplaying predecessor Melvin Gordon with the Chargers, the former UDFA did not generate much trade interest on a team-friendly contract when given permission to shop in 2023. This came before Ekeler’s high ankle sprain, which limited him in a season with 1,064 scrimmage yards (in 14 games) and six TDs.

One of this period’s most versatile backs settled for a guarantee south of where the Giants went for Devin Singletary. Joe Mixon, who has logged nearly 600 more carries than Ekeler’s 990, tripled the ex-Charger in guarantees.

This could be a good value play by Washington, as Ekeler stands to complement Brian Robinson and give Jayden Daniels a high-end outlet option. Eighth-year RBs certainly bring risk, but the 29-year-old weapon’s carry count is low enough he should have bounce-back potential. Given the Commanders’ uncertain pass-catching corps behind Terry McLaurin, Ekeler could be important.

Wagner finds himself in an unusual situation. Part of a perennial contender — or, at least a team off the rebuilding tier — in Seattle, the future Hall of Famer agreed to rejoin Quinn as a mentor-type presence. Working with Quinn during the latter’s two-year Seattle DC stay (2013-14), Wagner has become one of the league’s all-time great off-ball ‘backers in the years since. He is riding a 10-season streak with either a first- or second-team All-Pro honor. Washington’s current situation appears incongruent with Wagner’s trajectory, but the 34-year-old ILB does offer scheme familiarity to help an overhauled defense. Wagner, who had been linked to reuniting with Quinn in Dallas previously, led the NFL with 183 tackles last season.

Memorably leaving the Falcons after his late-season benching in 2022, Mariota still commanded a decent backup-level guarantee following his Eagles one-off. Never a true threat to Daniels’ QB1 status despite the alleged competition that took place, Mariota commanded a higher guarantee than Jameis Winston, Joe Flacco and Jimmy Garoppolo this offseason. The Commanders joined the Broncos in looking into Sam Darnold, but the recent 49ers QB2 preferred a Vikings team with better weaponry.

Ertz reunited with Kingsbury before free agency, giving the Commanders a low-cost tight end to replace Logan Thomas. Ertz is a more accomplished player who will bring scheme familiarity from his Cardinals days, though the former Eagles standout is also entering his age-34 season and coming off two injury-plagued slates. Ertz ripped off five straight 800-plus yard Eagles seasons, and his 574-yard 2021 Cardinals offering — in 11 games after a midseason trade — helped Kingsbury’s team to the playoffs. Ertz suffered an ACL tear in 2022 and went down with a quad injury midway through last season. For now, he looks like Washington’s clear-cut top receiving tight end.

The Commanders added two defensive pieces off a 2-15 team, but both Luvu and Chinn enjoyed productive stretches in Carolina. The Panthers’ defense was not the trainwreck its offense proved to be last year, either. Luvu put together back-to-back seasons of at least 5.5 sacks and 110 tackles, performing as a Demario Davis-like presence (albeit for a largely overlooked defense) over the past two years. Washington had cap space to throw around, and while it did not splurge for top-market free agents, Luvu ranked 29th on PFR’s 2024 list. The off-ball LB will make for an interesting Wagner complement, as both have enjoyed success as blitzers in recent years.

The 2020 Defensive Rookie of the Year runner-up who played multiple spots with Carolina, Chinn did not fit in Ejiro Evero‘s scheme. The former second-round pick will aim to create a better market this season. The Quinn followers, ex-Panthers and holdovers will attempt to revive a defense that ranked 32nd in scoring and yardage.

Re-signings:

Going into Year 11, Lucas has become a regular in Washington. He has filled in extensively at both tackle spots since joining the team in 2020. The journeyman played left tackle at points in 2020 and 2023 and worked at a RT regular in 2021 and ’22, combining for 31 starts in that span. Lucas, 33, represents middling insurance in the event third-rounder Brandon Coleman is not ready for the LT gig.

Notable losses:

Bastions of Jack Del Rio‘s secondaries, Curl and Fuller were in place when the bottom fell out last season. The Commanders plummeted to last place defensively, firing their fourth-year DC in-season. This year brought a light free agent CB market — after removing the two tagged players (L’Jarius Sneed, Jaylon Johnson) from the ranks — but Fuller did not fare as well as expected. The two-time Washington CB signed a two-year, $15MM Dolphins deal. As the safety market went through a macro reevaluation, Curl only fetched a two-year, $9MM Rams pact.

Traded to the Chiefs in the 2018 Alex Smith deal, Fuller re-signed on a four-year, $40MM deal to return in 2020. Washington used Fuller as both an outside and slot corner, and he helped cover for the team’s William Jackson FA miss. Fuller was charged with giving up a whopping nine touchdown passes as the closest defender last season. Despite going into only his age-25 season, Curl — after working his way up from seventh-round pick to reliable starter — needed to settle for a Rams deal that came in south of even the midlevel market that had formed.

Curl will attempt to rebuild his stock in Los Angeles, while Fuller’s days of commanding eight-figure-per-year pacts are probably over. The Commanders still roster outside starter Benjamin St-Juste, with Emmanuel Forbes set to have another chance on the perimeter after a shaky rookie season. Chinn is set to replace Curl.

Samuel did much better in free agency, despite not eclipsing 700 receiving yards in a Washington season. The Bills gave the former $10MM-per-year Commander a three-year, $24MM deal, showing the value in short-term second contracts. Samuel, 28, was Washington’s second-leading receiver in 2023. After devoting considerable money and a first-round pick to Terry McLaurin‘s supporting cast, the Commanders are starting over here.

The team also moved much of its 2023 draft class off the roster. After a 26-snap season, third-round center Ricky Stromberg did not make the cut under Quinn. Only Forbes and second-rounder Quan Martin remain on the 53-man roster from the Commanders’ 2023 draft class, representing quick hooks from the new regime.

Draft:

Caleb Williams rumors effectively ceased in April, and while the Commanders made their much-discussed group visit, their preference emerged not too long after the Bears’ became clear. Washington met with Daniels, Drake Maye, J.J. McCarthy and Michael Penix Jr., and buzz circulated about Daniels’ camp not being too happy with the group arrangement. But the 2023 Heisman winner received the most access during that trip, being the only QB prospect to sit at length with Josh Harris. Both Peters and Kingsbury were high on Daniels, and teams seemed to know it would take plenty to convince the Commanders to move off No. 2 overall. Maye generated multiple trade offers at No. 3, but only one proposal — most likely from the Daniels-obsessed Raiders — came in for the Commanders’ pick.

Dan Snyder interference once being common during Washington drafts, Peters kept his inner circle small ahead of the first post-Snyder selection event. Even though the Bears viewed a wide gap between Williams and this class’ other QBs, some coaches had rated Daniels above the USC product. After the 2023 season began with Maye closely behind Williams, Daniels changed the hierarchy. By December of Daniels’ Heisman season, the tide was already shifting. Daniels dropped a 3,812-yard passing season (11.7 per attempt) while adding 1,134 on the ground, accounting for 50 touchdowns. Like Penix and Bo Nix, Daniels used a transfer to transform his draft stock. His first-round contract reflects the success.

Quinn and his staff paid lip service to a competition between Daniels and Mariota, but no true battle waged. Daniels will follow Robert Griffin III in taking the reins as a dual-threat No. 2 overall pick in Washington. The Commanders have not seen their first-round efforts succeed here, with RG3, Haskins and Jason Campbell failing to pan out as starters this century. But Daniels is the Peters-Quinn regime’s centerpiece player; he will be given some time to develop — as fantasy GMs join Commanders fans in eagerly awaiting the early returns.

Washington’s new staff was busy on Day 2, making five picks thanks to the Sweat and Young trades and the Eagles climbing up to No. 40 for Cooper DeJean. The Commanders collected the Eagles’ No. 53 overall pick in exchange for moving down 10 spots, leading to the five-man output. A host of starter-caliber talents join the free agency brigade, with Newton — a first-round talent who fell due to injury — chief among them.

A first-team All-American last season, Newton has since undergone two surgeries on his right foot. Newton racked up 13 sacks and 22.5 tackles for loss from 2022-23. While the Commanders are starting over at defensive end, they are loaded on the interior. Newton may be a long-term replacement for Jonathan Allen alongside Daron Payne, but for now the franchise’s DT stalwarts — as the new staff is uninterested in an Allen trade — remain together.

Sainristil is ticketed to handle slot duty from the start. Two Commanders regimes have now targeted CBs with monster final college seasons. After Forbes’ pick-six rampage at Mississippi State, Sainristil snagged six INTs, took two back for scores and accumulated 232 return yards for the national champion Wolverines last season.

Coleman is in line for a bigger role than all three second-rounders, facing minimal competition en route to the left tackle gig. Some expected Coleman to slide to guard, where be played part-time at TCU, but the Commanders parked him at LT early. He will take over for cap casualty Charles Leno, the team’s three-year LT who remains in free agency. Lucas represents decent insurance, but the team does not have a good answer — during a season in which QB protection will be rather key — if Coleman is not ready.

The Commanders’ attempt to move back into Round 1 following the Daniels pick centered on Arizona tackle Jordan Morgan, whom the Packers chose 25th overall. Instead, the team will see if the No. 67 pick can handle the gig early. Coleman missed the team’s preseason slate as well, further clouding this situation.

Ertz is a bridge tight end, with Sinnott (1,123 receiving yards from 2022-23) the heir apparent. Just as the Commanders will soon see what they have in Sinnott, McCaffrey suddenly does not have many notable obstacles toward regular work. The latest of the McCaffrey clan to enter the NFL, Luke caught 13 TD passes in 2023. The door is wide open for him to claim a role alongside Terry McLaurin, which perhaps also reflects the lack of options within this receiving corps.

Trades:

While the Dotson deal did not exactly register on the level of 2010’s Donovan McNabb swap, Washington and Philadelphia are not typically trade partners. With no clear No. 2 wide receiver rostered, the Commanders dealing a first-rounder with two years of rookie-deal control within the division reflects their view of Dotson’s trajectory. During a month that featured Washington’s rebooted staff bail on several of the previous power brokers’ investments, this was probably the most notable subtraction.

Dotson clashed with Eric Bieniemy but topped 500 receiving yards in each of his two seasons. Last year saw the Penn State product’s YPC plummet to 10.6, with ESPN’s open score metric slotting him 132nd (out of 152 qualified pass catchers). Needing a WR3 for a bit now, the Eagles took a flier in a deal that reminded of their Kenny Pickett trade construction. The Commanders added Noah Brown, who has proven resurgent, but mostly backup-level veterans join McLaurin and McCaffrey in this WR cadre.

The Seahawks beat out three teams to acquire Howell, who had been the centerpiece of Washington’s 2023 offseason. Though the 2022 fifth-rounder had moments, he took the most sacks by a non-David Carr QB in a season this century (65) and also paced the NFL with 21 INTs — albeit on a league-high 612 attempts. Mariota is a less inspiring backup option, at this stage of his career at least, but the Commanders predictably replaced their 2023 starter upon landing the No. 2 overall pick. Howell is the only Geno Smith backup on Seattle’s 53-man roster.

A sexual assault allegation led McManus off Washington’s roster. While a judge tossed the two anonymous flight attendants’ civil suit this week, the plaintiffs are expected to refile. The Commanders ended up paying the former Jaguars and Broncos kicker his $1.5MM signing bonus, after giving him a one-year, $3.6MM deal. After an emergency Ramiz Ahmed signing and subsequent Riley Patterson waiver claim, the Commanders entered cutdown day in search of another outside hire. Enter York, the fourth kicker to land on Washington’s roster since 2023 option Joey Slye‘s contract expired.

The Browns have moved on from York in each of the past two summers. The 2022 fourth-round pick missed eight field goals as a rookie and did not see any game action last season. York’s pro resume, his 58-yard game-winner in his NFL debut notwithstanding, does not impress. The Commanders may not be done kicker shopping, but they will give the LSU alum a shot to open the season.

Extensions and restructures:

The Peters-Quinn regime’s resources have gone to free agents and draftees this offseason; Cosmi became a late exception. The 2021 second-round pick benefited from 2023 guard switch, scoring a deal (worth up to $76MM) that places him among the league’s top-10 highest-paid guards. Cosmi’s guarantees match fellow 2021 Day 2 pick Quinn Meinerz for the sixth-most at the position. Meinerz has started at guard for most his Broncos tenure; Cosmi managed to score this deal — from a new regime, no less — with one season of guard work.

PFF ranked Cosmi fourth among guards last season, representing a Teven Jenkins-like ascent after kicking inside. Rather than move the fourth-year veteran back outside and starting anew, Quinn’s staff will keep Cosmi at right guard and ex-Bieniemy Chiefs cog Andrew Wylie at RT.

Rivera and Co. did not end up extending perennial Pro Bowler Brandon Scherff, leading to two franchise tags and an eventual free agency departure. But the newly assembled front office will devote considerable funds to one of Rivera’s investments. Mayhew remaining on staff may well have helped Cosmi’s cause.

Other:

Teams have viewed the off-ball linebacker fifth-year option as unreasonable over the past two offseasons. None of 2020’s first-round ILBs, including Patrick Queen, saw their options exercised in 2023. Micah Parsons is now being classified as a defensive end, leaving Davis as the 2021 draft’s only first-round inside ‘backer. Quinn has since demoted the 36-game starter, who is set to play behind Wagner and Luvu.

Davis has made strides since a rough rookie year, but virtually no chance existed he could warrant this guarantee. Given his ties to the Rivera-Jack Del Rio setup, the Kentucky alum (six sacks from 2022-23) is likely auditioning for a 2025 free agency bid.

Aiyuk would have accepted a trade to Washington, as the team drafted his 2019 QB (at Arizona State). The 49ers’ long-running negotiations with Aiyuk featured a Steelers trade agreement, but the Commanders — who have McLaurin on a similar deal (three years, $69.6MM) to San Francisco’s Deebo Samuel pact — did not show extensive interest. Ahead of a season that looks to feature another McLaurin-dependent receiving crew, it should be expected a WR2 will be a high priority in 2025.

Top 10 cap charges for 2024:

  1. Terry McLaurin, WR: $24.1MM
  2. Daron Payne, DT: $21.61MM
  3. Jonathan Allen, DT: $21.44MM
  4. Andrew Wylie, RT: $9.42MM
  5. Jayden Daniels, QB: $6.86MM
  6. Bobby Wagner, LB: $6.5MM
  7. Marcus Mariota, QB: $6MM
  8. Dorance Armstrong, DE: $5.14MM
  9. Jamin Davis, LB: $4.39MM
  10. Tyler Biadasz, C: $4.39MM

Daniels’ development represents the runaway lead storyline in the Peters-Quinn partnership’s first year. Quinn will naturally be tied to the coaches the franchise also pursued this offseason, but this is probably his last chance as a head coach. Projected to hold the NFL’s most 2025 cap space, Washington has the opportunity afforded to teams with rookie-scale contracts. With Daniels tied to rookie terms through 2026, this season will probably feature the team’s least talented roster in that span.

The Commanders may not push for 2024 playoff contention, and they have not built a steady contender since Joe Gibbs‘ first stint (which ended more than 30 years ago). With the Snyder mess in the rearview mirror, however, the franchise’s latest reconstruction project will present fewer obstacles.

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