Simulating the Washington Football Team’s entire 2021 offseason
Free-agent signings
In free agency, there were a few spots that we were focused on improving. They were wide receiver, linebacker, and free safety. Tight end was also on our mind, but there weren’t many intriguing options on the market, so we opted to stick with the former three and explore some potential depth options to shore up the roster.
Rivera’s strategy last year was mostly to bring depth aboard in free agency and that turned out to be a smash success. This year, with nearly $40 million in cap space remaining after our re-signings, it was harder to spend carefully. Instead of going for a volume of players on smaller deals, we went for two expensive free agents at the receiver spot and took a shot on a “prove it” player at safety.
It’s no secret that Washington needs receiving help outside of Terry McLaurin, so with Allen Robinson and Curtis Samuel both available, it was hard to resist passing on them. We wanted to sign one in this simulation but ultimately, we signed both.
Washington Commanders
Robinson signed a deal worth $18.5 million annually for four years. Robinson has posted over 1,100 receiving yards in back-to-back seasons despite playing for the hapless, quarterback-less Chicago Bears offense. He’d be a major upgrade across from McLaurin and the two would be among the best receiving duos in the league since both are well-rounded playmakers that can stretch defenses and make contested catches.
Meanwhile, Samuel signed a four-year deal worth $50 million ($12.5 million AAV). He would be a massive upgrade as a do-it-all playmaker for this offense and would fill the role many expected Steven Sims to step into last year.
Samuel averaged 11.1 yards per catch and 4.9 yards per carry last season for the Panthers. Scott Turner and Rivera know him well and would find a way to use the versatile Swiss Army knife in this offense. He would fit perfectly in Washington and will probably be one of their top targets this offseason given his decent cost compared to the other options on the receiver market.
Perhaps spending nearly $30 million of our cap space on receivers wasn’t a shrewd business move considering that McLaurin will be due for an extension midway through both of those contracts, but there’s no denying that those players would provide a massive upgrade to the team’s receiving corps. Plus, Samuel will be just 25 at the start of next season while Robinson will be 28, so both have plenty of upside moving forward.
Even if you strongly disagree with signing both, one of those players should be a top option for Washington.
On the defensive side of the ball, Malik Hooker was the safety signed to a prove-it deal. For a deal worth up to $6 million ($1.5 million guaranteed), Hooker came to Washington in hopes of reviving his career. He missed all but two games last season with a torn Achilles, but he was once a big-time ballhawk for the Colts.
If healthy, Hooker, just 25 in April, could become a solid starter at free safety again. At the very least, he’s worth a shot for Washington considering how well the Darby deal worked out.
We managed to plug some of Washington’s holes in free agency and still had about $11 million in cap space remaining. Of course, some of that would be reserved for 2021 NFL Draft picks, and adding eight of those players helped to shape this roster and patch the final holes remaining, including the all-important quarterback position.