Five potential Commanders targets to watch in free agency, including a playoff hero
The Washington Commanders are, in some ways, again the place they began in 2024, with a roster that wants overhauling, a excessive draft slot, loads of wage cap house and a essential offseason awaiting them. But what had been then considered as welcome modifications, following greater than 20 years of tumult below former proprietor Daniel Snyder, at the moment are indicative of how a lot work lies forward for common supervisor Adam Peters and coach Dan Quinn.
The honeymoon is over.
Washington faces heightened urgency to construct a contender round quarterback Jayden Daniels, which suggests when the NFL’s authorized tampering window begins Monday at midday ET (and when new offers will be formally signed beginning Wednesday at 4 pm), the Commanders needs to be spenders.
But the place? And on whom?
The earlier two years might not present a lot of a information. The Commanders’ focus has shifted since Peters gutted the roster in 2024 after which re-signed lots of Washington’s personal (older) veterans to one-year offers in 2025.
This 12 months, the precedence is to construct the inspiration by signing some youthful gamers, particularly these coming off their first NFL contracts, to longer offers, in accordance to one particular person with direct information of the Commanders’ method.
The Commanders want to add velocity throughout the board, present extra playmakers round Daniels and rebuild a protection that you’ve lagged for years. Luckily for them, they’ve the means to accomplish this.
After releasing center Tyler Biadasz and cornerback Marshon LattimoreWashington enters free company with the fourth-most wage cap house in the league, greater than $80 million, in accordance to each Spotrac and Over the Cap (solely the highest 51 contracts rely towards a workforce’s cap in the offseason).
Here are 5 gamers to monitor for Washington earlier than the spending begins:
Jaelan Phillips, Edge
Adding an edge rusher (or two, or three) is a should for Washington, and Phillips, 26, is a good one in his prime. The query is whether or not he can keep obtainable.
Injuries price Phillips the higher a part of 2023 and ’24, however when wholesome, he is a clear difference-maker with the burst and flexibility the Commanders say they need in their move rushers. The 2021 first-round choose spent 4 and a half seasons in Miami earlier than being dealt to the Philadelphia Eagles on the commerce deadline final November. In his 17 begins final season, Phillips totaled 73 quarterback pressures and 23 run stops, which ranked ninth and tied for fourth, respectively, amongst edge rushers, in accordance to Pro Football Focus. He additionally had a career-high 4 passes defended.
Isaiah Likely, TE
Zach Ertz was Daniels’ go-to goal in the purple zone the final two seasons in Washington, however his deal is up, and he is recovering from an ACL harm he suffered in December. He’s additionally 35. Although the Commanders say they have not closed the door on a doable return for Ertz, the truth is that they don’t have any confirmed and dependable pass-catching tight finish, and their receiving corps is skinny and undersized. If there have been ever a time to spend on the tight finish corps, this 12 months can be it.
Likely’s worth is predicated extra on potential at this level in his profession — he performed behind Mark Andrews all through his 4 years in Baltimore — and he is coming off a down season (27 catches, 307 yards and one landing), probably due to a foot harm he sustained final summer time. But he has the dimensions, at 6-foot-4, 245 kilos; the flexibility to line up at a number of spots; a excessive catch fee during the last three seasons; and the flexibility to make performs like this.
Rashid Shaheed, WR
Washington’s receiving corps was decimated by accidents final season, and their most regularly obtainable choice, Deebo Samuel, is now headed for free company. The Commanders want a No. 2 behind Terry McLaurin, and so they want to add velocity. Enter Shaheed, an undrafted receiver out of Weber State who now has a pair of Pro Bowl nods and a Super Bowl ring.
Shaheed was in all probability going to have a wholesome market after his run with the New Orleans Saints, however he bolstered his inventory much more after he was traded to the Seattle Seahawks final season and proved to be top-of-the-line acquisitions on the deadline. In Washington, he’d present one other deep menace who might double as their ace returner. (Counting the playoffs, he returned three kicks for touchdowns in 12 video games with the Seahawks.)
Tyler Linderbaum, C
The Commanders surprisingly minimize Biadasz two weeks earlier than free company, leaving one other vital place on their roster up for grabs. Washington has basically two choices right here: Sign a lower-tier heart and have him compete with Nick Allegretti for the beginning job, or spend massive and pursue Linderbaum.
The latter comes with dangers, because the Commanders additionally hope to sign left tackle Laremy Tunsil to a new deal quickly and have many different premium positions in want of upgrades. But solidifying the offensive line is important for Daniels’ growth and the offense at giant.
Linderbaum, a first-round pick of Iowa in 2022, is barely 25 and one of many sport’s high facilities. He allowed solely 5 sacks in his 4 seasons with the Ravens and, in accordance to ESPN’s metrics, he tied for second amongst facilities with a 97 % move block win fee final season. All of that’s to say he will not come low-cost, and will even high Creed Humphrey’s $18 million a 12 months to lead all facilities in common worth.
Tyler Allgeier, RB
Similar to Likely, Allgeier, 25, spent most of his first 4 seasons behind a long-term starter (and a superb one, at that) in Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson.
Since 2022, when he was chosen in the fifth spherical out of BYU, Allgeier has averaged 38 pressured missed tackles a season (he had seven towards the Commanders final 12 months), 16.5 runs of at the least 10 yards and three.27 yards after contact, in accordance to PFF.
