Commanders Free Agency chat

After the failure of 2023, the Josh Harris group have cleared the decks, with a new front office and coaching staff that, at the very least, are extremely promising on paper.

The Commanders hired a General Manager in Adam Peters who was number one on many a list for a GM slot after a successful tenure in San Francisco as an Assistant GM. Known for his player evaluation skills, the hire of Peters provides a clear indication that Washington is, at last, a desirable destination for the best in the NFL.

Here at UKHTTC, we took timeout for our own player evaluation and posed the question: What two free agents would you sign from outside the building and who are two guys that you would feel comfortable bringing back in burgundy & gold in 2024?

Going first, regular contributor, Simon Thurston.

It is seemingly the same script every offseason, isn't it?

On both sides of the ball, Washington has a number of holes to fill on their roster. However, the one new variable this time is a proven, respected and experienced front office and coaching group who are all seemingly on the same page.

Understandably, all eyes are on what the Commanders will do in April's draft. But with free agency officially starting on March 13th, and with over $73m in cap space, there appears to be much optimism that key pieces can be brought in to upgrade areas of need.

And of course, this will be the antithesis of Dan Snyder's tenure, where signing ageing or ill-fitting free agents to mammoth deals was the norm.

There are some intriguing free agents this year, and crucially, in positions where the Commanders need help. My first selection is Patriot's offensive lineman Michael Onwenu. A sixth rounder in the 2020 draft, Onwenu has been one of the league's most solid linemen and offers flexibility, with starting experience at both guard and tackle.

He appeared in 15 games in 2023, playing 850 snaps, 656 of those at tackle and 194 at guard. According to Pro Football Focus, he gave up just three sacks. It's arguably the position group in most need of retooling this year, and Onwenu's physicality and quickness makes him a hot prospect in free agency.

My second selection is a long shot: Cincinnati's Tee Higgins. I fully expect him to remain with the Bengals, and rumour has it they'll use the franchise tag to do that. But if they don't, he would be a high-calibre addition to the Commanders receiving corps, offering something a little different too, with his long frame and red zone threat.

His career speaks for itself, snaring 257 catches for 3,684 yards and 24 touchdowns. It certainly helps having JaMarr Chase on the other side and Joe Burrow throwing the rock! But he's quickly shown he's an elite wide receiver and a gamechanger with it.

With regard to our own free agents, the first on my list is Jeremy Reaves. A pro-bowler in 2022, his season was cut short by injury in 2023.

For me, Reaves is an outstanding special teamer and a more than capable back-up in the secondary. He also plays downhill, which the new defensive coaches will love. So I'm keeping him in the DMV.

Second on my list is DE Casey Toohill. Once again, perhaps not one of the standout names on our list of pending free agents, but he's proven a valuable back up in perhaps the most important defensive position group.

In a season which included the much-publicised trades of Montez Sweat and Chase Young, Toohill stepped up, registering five sacks, and starting eight games. He's not elite level, of course, but he offers depth in the rotation, which is all-important in the modern NFL. He provides energy, enthusiasm and has definitely demonstrated development during his time in the nation's capital.

Next up, UKHTTC founder, Christian Burt.

Right now, the new front office and coaches will be undertaking a hard evaluation of the current roster and that will include outgoing FAs for Washington. It is easy, and maybe justified, to be tempted to not bring back any of the current FAs who suited up in burgundy & gold last year.

However, new Head Coach Dan Quinn and DC Joe Whitt Jnr would’ve been up close and personal with the Commanders roster over the last few years given their previous employment in Dallas. Although their concentration would have been on stopping the offensive side of the ball, I am certain that both guys will like what they saw in SS Kam Curl.

If Washington was a fully stable franchise leading into the 2023 season, I feel a deal for Curl would have already been done. Kam had another solid year despite the turmoil in the backfield and signs on the dotted line for four years, with numbers around the $14m a season mark and with $35-40m guaranteed.

He might get a better offer elsewhere, but that is around Marcus Williams money and seems fair for a top 10 FS in the NFL.

Like Simon, I was very tempted by Casey Toohill as a semi-dependable DE who landed five sacks in 2023. However, I am not convinced by his ability to set the edge against the run game, so Casey gets beaten out by the slightly younger, if rather one-dimensional, James Smith-Williams who basically is a stout DE when facing the RBs of the NFL.

Any deal for Smith-Williams will be easy on the cap and I feel he is worth keeping around as a dependable DE.

It is always more exciting to discuss any new guys into the building, and whilst the draft will almost certainly be the main go-to for roster building (not my words, but that of Adam Peters himself), a sprinkling of higher-calibre veteran FAs is sorely needed in Washington.

If there is to be a new QB in D.C, every rookie under centre needs that safety blanket of a dependable TE. This is a positional group that has been weak for a while in Washington and needs some veteran experience. With that in mind, I would pay Hunter Henry $8m dollars for the 2024 season.

For a start, Henry is rarely injured, with just three games missed in seasons ’21, ’22 and ’23. He might not be a super sexy TE, but Hunter is three-down TE and that is a comfort for what is likely to be either Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels at QB for next season.

For my second choice, it was sorely tempting to pay the substantial dollars for one of the star FAs off the Edge. However, after not paying Montez Sweat or Chase Young, I would not be surprised if Washington trade into the first round, with their couple of early second round picks a price for a chance at a Bralen Trice for example. I believe this front office will want to avoid too much cap going into the DL given the Allen and Payne contracts.

Despite being 33 years old, I would love to see LB Bobby Wagner set the tone for the new era in Washington. This is a nine-times pro bowler and sometimes the future is the right now.

Bobby would be a supreme leader on the field and would not break the bank at around the $5.5m one-year deal mark. Get it done and erase the memory of the godawful Cody Barton from 2023!