ESPN’s ‘best fit’ for Commanders’ Brandon Scherff is comically ironic

The Washington Commanders are equipped with $31.89 million in cap space this offseason, so fans should expect a spending spree akin to last year, when they went out and added Ryan Fitzpatrick to a one-year contract, and Curtis Samuel and William Jackson III to three-year deals in the first wave of signings.

In terms of guaranteed money, those three contracts were worth a combined $55 million. As far as annual average value, Fitzpatrick signed for $10 million, Samuel for $11.5 million and Jackson for $13.5 million.

If you were to add Fitz’s and Samuel’s AAV together, you get a sum of what pending free agent Brandon Scherff could sign for this offseason. After all, the Pro Bowl guard’s franchise tag last season was worth $18.036 million.

With that as a baseline for negotiations, it’s no surprise the Commanders seem content with letting him hit the open market. However, just because he’s likely leaving the franchise doesn’t mean fans won’t continue to follow his career.

Wherever Scherff signs, fans will be rooting for him to succeed. The million-dollar question, of course, is where will he end up?

In their “50 free agent fits” article for ESPN, insider Jeremy Fowler and analyst Matt Bowen pegged the Carolina Panthers as Scherff’s best fit.

ESPN thinks Brandon Scherff would be a great fit with the Panthers.

Here’s what Fowler and Bowen (subscription required) had to say about why Scherff would fit seamlessly in the Panthers’ scheme.

"Why it makes sense: It’s hard to see Scherff returning to Washington after he just played out two consecutive franchise tags. Washington doesn’t want anything to do with an $18-20 million per year deal for a guard. Neither do the Panthers, but they might be desperate enough for interior offensive line help that they jump into the fray. — FowlerScheme fit: Scherff has the athletic traits to win on zone schemes, and he can also move defenders up front. The former Iowa Hawkeye is an immediate upgrade on the offensive line for a Panthers team that wants to run the ball under Matt Rhule. — Bowen"

Hard to argue with that logic. Throw in the fact that Panthers right guard John Miller is headed for free agency and there’s zero talk of a potential reunion and Carolina makes even more sense for the five-time Pro Bowler.

On another note, can anyone else appreciate the fact that ESPN named the Panthers as Scherff’s top landing spot? Ever since Ron Rivera left Carolina for Washington, it feels like the teams’ rosters are eternally entwined. After seven years in Landover, it seems fitting that Scherff spends the next chapter of his career (his last?) at Rivera’s old stomping grounds in Charlotte.

Someone has to keep the trend going, right? If you browse Washington’s roster, Curtis Samuel, Taylor Heinicke, Joey Slye, Tyler Larsen, Kyle Allen, Alex Armah and David Mayo all spent time with Rivera in Carolina before joining Washington. It’s only fair the Commanders return the favor with Scherff.

In Scherff, the Panthers would get a franchise guard. At just 30 years old, he still has at least four years of his prime left. His recent injury history is a red flag (hasn’t played a full season since 2016), but any Commanders fan would tell you his on-field output is worth the occasional absence.

The bottom line is Scherff’s an animal and any team would be lucky to have him. If he winds up on the Panthers, though, we might start thinking that the two teams signed a pact that states they must share players.

It’s the only logical explanation.