3 Commanders free agents who could follow Kevin O’Connell to Vikings

The Washington Commanders became the punchline of a lot of jokes during the postseason.

Of course, the wise cracks stemmed from the fact that three former Washington assistants — Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVay and Matt LaFleur — were three of the four coaches left standing after Wild Card Weekend.

While LaFleur’s Packers flamed out in the divisional round, Shanahan and McVay locked horns in the NFC Championship Game. McVay won that chess match before his Rams knocked off the Bengals to win the Super Bowl.

Less than 24 hours after that victory, McVay’s offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell was hired as the Vikings’ new head coach. Fans will remember O’Connell for his three-year run in Washington, during which he served as the quarterbacks coach before being promoted to offensive coordinator for the 2019 season.

O’Connell was in the discussion to keep his post after Jay Gruden’s firing, but Ron Rivera, ever a proponent of continuity, brought Scott Turner over from Carolina.

If O’Connell takes a page out of Rivera’s playbook, he could make his life easier by choosing to reunite with former players. With that in mind, let’s highlight some free agents who could follow the former OC to Minneapolis.

3 Commanders free agents who could reunite with Kevin O’Connell

3. Jon Bostic

Bostic is a polarizing player amongst Washington fans, and rightly so given his inconsistencies as an inside linebacker. The 30-year-old’s limitations in coverage are among the worst at the position, but he could still be a serviceable starter for a team that’s willing to limit his coverage responsibilities as much as possible.

In two years as a starter for Washington, Bostic racked up 223 tackles (nine for loss), 12 quarterback hits, five passes defended and four sacks. That production doesn’t grow on trees and O’Connell, who witnessed Bostic’s 2019 first-hand in Ashburn, could turn to the veteran as a solution to the Vikings’ LB conundrum.

With four-time Pro Bowler Anthony Barr set to hit free agency, Bostic could form a solid partnership with Eric Kendricks, who’s still under contract. The addition of Bostic would give Kendricks the freedom to branch out from the MLB spot and line up as a pass rusher, a role he’s excelled at in his career.

There’s also a chance the cap-shortened Vikings outright cut Kendricks given his projected $13.5 million cap hit for 2022. With Kirk Cousins unwilling to take a pay cut, Minnesota could be forced into some tough decisions.

Regardless of whether Kendricks becomes a cap casualty, Bostic could look to reunite with a familiar face in O’Connell coming off a season-ending pec injury, which is likely to limit his free agent market to begin with.