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Washington Commanders News & Rumors

Commanders To Host LB Anthony Walker

March 20th, 2023 at 9:44am CST by Adam La Rose

Anthony Walker could be close to finding a third NFL employer. The veteran linebacker is conducting a free agent visit with the Commanders today, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link).

Walker began his career with the Colts, taking on a starting role in his second season. His play in Indianapolis earned him a deal with the Browns in 2021, one which proved to be a worthwhile investment. The former fifth-rounder totaled 113 tackles in his debut Cleveland season, the third time in his career he eclipsed 100 stops in a campaign. His production led to another one-year contract last March.

However, the 27-year-old suffered a season-ending quadriceps injury only three weeks into the 2022 season. That made him one of many Browns linebackers to spend considerable time on the shelf, something which contributed to the team’s defensive struggles and their re-tooling on that side of the ball this offseason. That effort has included a number of outside additions, but also a new one-year deal for fellow veteran ‘backer Sione Takitaki.

With the latter – along with Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and others – in the fold for Cleveland, Walker is unsurprisingly exploring other options. That has led him to today’s visit in the nation’s capital, and the potential to find a new home. When healthy, Walker is capable of handling starting duties, with his skillset being suited better to run defense than production in the passing game. That, coupled with his injury, is likely to tamper his market in the second wave of free agency.

The Commanders have retained several incumbent linebackers so far in free agency, including depth options David Mayo and Khaleke Hudson. They lost Cole Holcomb to the Steelers, but have added former Seahawk Cody Barton as a replacement starter. Walker would look to carve out a role within their LB room if a deal were to materialize in the near future, one which could add experience to Washington’s defense and allow him to prove his continued worth upon returning to full health.

Latest On Potential Commanders Sale

March 19th, 2023 at 3:55pm CST by Adam La Rose

As the March league owners’ meetings draw closer, the sense around the NFL continues to build that Dan Snyder‘s time as owner of the Commanders is coming to an end. His departure – either through a sale or an unprecedented vote forcing him out of his position – could be hinted at by the team’s recent financial decisions.

The Commanders have delayed the payouts of signing bonuses on their recent player contracts, as detailed by Ben Standig of The Athletic (subscription required). Typically, teams arrange contracts so that the first installment of sizeable payouts are scheduled to be doled out within a few weeks of the contracts becoming official. As Standig notes, Washington has followed this standard practice with deals signed in previous offseasons, including left tackle Trent Williams, defensive tackle Jonathan Allen and wideout Terry McLaurin.

However, the team’s monster extension with Daron Payne, which was signed not long after they applied the franchise tag on him, calls for his first signing bonus payment to be delayed until May 12, per Standig. That date marks exactly two months after the deal was agreed to, and, more notably, is likely to come after a new ownership group is in place to take on the Commanders’ financial responsibilities, including payroll. The same holds true for Washington’s deals with right tackle Andrew Wylie and quarterback Jacoby Brissett.

“Relative to their prior contract precedents, it would seem that they have intentionally delayed the first installment of their signing bonuses,” one former team employee said in an observation of the situation. “[It’s] very plausible that it’s related to the expected timeline of a sale… I think the payout dates are fairly telling.”

The possibility of a vote forcing Snyder out was a talking point during the 2022 season, with Colts owner Jim Irsay noting in October how such a move was on the table. Bidding on the embattled franchise has since taken place, with a shortlist of fellow pro sports owners Josh Harris and Tilman Fertitta being named as potential finalists. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos remains connected to a potential purchase, though reports have pointed to him not being allowed to participate in any hypothetical sales process.

Adding to the recent report that a Commander sale is imminent, NBC Sports’ JP Finlay tweets that the situation now metaphorically sits at ‘first and goal.’ The league’s owners are set to meet next week, so further developments on this front could be coming very soon. As the team’s contract arrangements this offseason suggest, an ownership change remains the likeliest end to the situation in Washington.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/19/23

March 19th, 2023 at 12:59pm CST by Rory Parks

We will keep track of today’s minor moves right here:

Baltimore Ravens

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Las Vegas Raiders

Washington Commanders

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/17/23

March 17th, 2023 at 10:28pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are today’s minor moves from around the league:

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Green Bay Packers

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New York Jets

Washington Commanders

 

Board is a strong special teamer, signing a two-year, $5MM deal with New England, according to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe. The contract reportedly includes incentives that can push the deal to a maximum value of $6.7MM.

Colon-Castillo reportedly visited the Falcons today, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. Despite the visit, he decided to sign with the Jets.

Jets Sign OL Wes Schweitzer

March 16th, 2023 at 7:43pm CST by Ben Levine

The Jets have added some versatility to their offensive line. The team announced that they’ve agreed to a deal with offensive lineman Wes Schweitzer.

The former sixth-round pick has managed to put together a seven-year career thanks in part to that versatility. Schweitzer has played at least one career snap at every offensive line position, although the majority of his playing time has come at left guard and right guard.

Schweitzer started 36 of his 46 appearances for Atlanta between 2017 and 2019, and he started 13 games during his first season in Washington in 2020. He only started five of his 11 appearances in 2021 before returning to the starting lineup in 2022, starting six of his seven appearances thanks to an ankle injury that landed him on IR. He finished the season ranked as Pro Football Focus’ 27th center (among 36 qualifiers).

ESPN’s John Keim tweets that the Commanders were interested in retaining the free agent offensive lineman. Ultimately, the team determined that they already have several veterans who should be able to fill in for Schweitzer.

Schweitzer will enter the season as a backup, but his versatility obviously provides the Jets with some flexibility when an injury inevitably hits. The Jets have lost a bit of OL depth during the early days of free agency with Nate Herbig heading to the Steelers.

The Jets made another OL move today, re-signing Adam Pankey, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). The 29-year-old has appeared in nine games since entering the NFL in 2017, although he didn’t make a single appearance in 2022 while sitting on the Jets’ practice squad.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/15/23

March 15th, 2023 at 7:46pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor transactions:

Cincinnati Bengals

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

Washington Commanders

Smith got a two-year deal from Denver that can max out at $5.5MM, per Mike Klis of 9News in Denver (via Twitter). Smith got a $1.4MM signing bonus to join the Broncos, per Troy Renck of Denver7 (via Twitter). After finishing last in kicker return average in 2022, the Broncos should get a bump from Smith, who averaged 23.9 yards on his 40 kickoff returns for Houston over the past two years.

Commanders Re-Sign OL Tyler Larsen

March 15th, 2023 at 6:39pm CST by Ben Levine

Tyler Larsen is returning to Washington. The offensive lineman is re-signing with the Commanders, according to ESPN’s John Keim (on Twitter).

The former undrafted free agent had a five-year stint with the Panthers before joining Washington in 2021. Intended to be a reserve offensive lineman, Larsen has found himself in and out of the starting lineup over the past two years, starting 11 of his 18 appearances.

Larsen’s deal includes just $150K guaranteed, JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington tweets. Overall, the veteran interior offensive lineman will be attached to a one-year, $1.3MM accord.

After starting the 2022 season on PUP, Larsen quickly found himself starting at center in place of Nick Martin. Larsen would proceed to start eight of his nine appearances before suffering a dislocated kneecap in Week 13, ending his season prematurely. Pro Football Focus wasn’t particularly fond of his performance last season, ranking him 29th among 36 qualifying centers.

Larsen’s role will likely be in flux heading into training camp. However, his versatility provides him with a definitive role on the Commanders…it just remains to be seen what that role will end up being.

Commanders To Sign QB Jacoby Brissett

March 15th, 2023 at 3:06pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although the Commanders have continued to talk up Sam Howell as a live option to start in 2023, they will bring in veteran competition. Jacoby Brissett is expected to sign with Washington, Dianna Russini of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).

This will be Brissett’s fourth stop over the past four seasons. The two-time Andrew Luck replacement starter spent 2020 with the Colts, 2021 with the Dolphins and 2022 with the Browns. With Howell having played in one NFL game, Brissett stands to have a good opportunity to make starts in 2023.

Brissett, 30, is signing another one-year deal, per the Washington Post’s Nicki Jhabvala (on Twitter). He will earn $8MM guaranteed, with ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler adding the contract can max out at $10MM (Twitter link).

The nomadic QB agreed to one-year pacts with both the Dolphins and Browns previously. The Commanders were interested in keeping Taylor Heinicke, per John Keim of ESPN.com, but they had Brissett just below their former backup on their offseason QB hierarchy (Twitter link). Heinicke signed a two-year, $14MM deal with the Falcons, where he will land in a similar situation to Brissett’s.

Brissett outplayed Deshaun Watson during the QBs’ time together on Cleveland’s roster. Bouncing back after not showing much in Miami, Brissett finished his 11-game season eighth in QBR. He threw 12 touchdown passes, six interceptions and averaged a career-high 7.1 yards per attempt. While the Browns only went 4-7 in Brissett’s starts, he attracted interest during his stay as Watson’s suspension gatekeeper. Over the course of his career, Brissett has made 48 starts.

Heinicke, Brissett and Baker Mayfield will step into stopgap arrangements. Considering Howell’s low draft pedigree (Round 5) and inexperience, Brissett might have stepped into the best situation of the three. The Commanders hired longtime Andy Reid right-hand man Eric Bieniemy as OC and return an intriguing wide receiver setup — Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, Curtis Samuel — to go along with a Brian Robinson–Antonio Gibson backfield tandem.

After aggressively pursuing big-name quarterbacks in 2022, the Commanders have only been connected to Howell and a low-cost veteran. A Brissett-Howell competition may be how Washington proceeds this year. The Commanders hold the No. 16 overall pick in the draft; it is a good bet the top four QB prospects will be off the board by then. Ron Rivera‘s comments have also not pointed to the team considering another rookie addition.

Steelers To Sign LB Cole Holcomb

March 15th, 2023 at 8:13am CST by Sam Robinson

In on the Leighton Vander Esch market, the Steelers will instead end up with another linebacker who spent his rookie-contract years in the NFC East. They are signing former Commanders linebacker Cole Holcomb, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

The Commanders wanted to bring back the former fifth-round pick, John Keim of ESPN.com adds (on Twitter), but the sides were too far apart on value. Holcomb, 26, is heading to Pittsburgh on a three-year deal. Holcomb’s contract is worth $18MM, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

Although Holcomb is coming off an injury-abbreviated contract year, he started throughout his four-year Washington tenure. He finished the 2021 season with 142 tackles, two interceptions — one of them a pick-six — and seven pass deflections, and Pro Football Focus graded the ex-North Carolina Tar Heel as a top-25 off-ball linebacker that year. He will join a Steelers team that ultimately did not see enough from former first-round pick Devin Bush, who is now a free agent.

Last year, Holcomb suffered a foot injury that ultimately required surgery. He underwent the procedure in December, but that did not impede a multiyear contract. The Commanders have already agreed to terms with ex-Seahawks linebacker Cody Barton, though Keim notes the team is still aiming to add another piece at that position.

Many ILBs have come off the board already, though a few options remain. Lavonte David and Bobby Wagner may be eyeing roles with surefire Super Bowl contenders, but Bush, Deion Jones, Zach Cunningham, Denzel Perryman and Rashaan Evans are available heading into the 2023 league year.

Pittsburgh still rosters 2022 free agency pickup Myles Jack, who is going into the second season of his two-year deal, but lost Robert Spillane to the Raiders on Tuesday. Spillane started 15 games over the past three seasons with Pittsburgh, which did not pick up Bush’s fifth-year option in 2022.

Commanders Release RB J.D. McKissic

March 14th, 2023 at 3:35pm CST by Adam La Rose

J.D. McKissic was one of a few players to back out of an agreement during the 2022 free agent period. He pivoted to the Commanders as a result of that decision, but his time in the nation’s capital has come to an end. Washington announced on Tuesday that they have released the veteran running back.

The 29-year-old initially had a deal in place to head to Buffalo, but he backed out of it to remain with the Commanders. That set him up for another season operating as the team’s primary pass-catcher out of the backfield, one which already featured Antonio Gibson. McKissic’s season ended up being cut short by a neck injury, however, making this release a distinct possibility.

By cutting the former UDFA – who had one year remaining on his contract – immediately, the Commanders would see $1.23MM in cap savings, while creating a dead money charge of $2MM. Designating him as a post-June 1 cut would make more sense from a financial perspective, as their savings would increase to $2.73MM against just $500K in dead money.

McKissic saw only 22 carries in eight games this season, though he added 27 catches for 173 scoreless yards. Rookie Brian Robinson Jr. took on a considerable role upon being medically cleared to play in 2022, which helped clarify the Commanders’ pecking order in the backfield. Robinson, along with Gibson and veteran Jonathan Williams remain under contract for next season.

After three seasons spent in the nation’s capital, McKissic will now search for a new home. The former Seahawk and Lion is joined by a number of free agent running backs, something which is, coupled with his age and injury, likely to hurt his value. His efficiency in the passing game when healthy, however, should allow him to land a depth opportunity in a new backfield.

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