The Washington Commanders haven’t necessarily sent free agency ablaze, but they’ve made some worthwhile moves in the first wave.
Yes, losing Brandon Scherff, Landon Collins, Ereck Flowers, Tim Settle and Matt Ioannidi is a huge knock to the team’s depth, but they now have enough cap space to replace those players and they’ve already managed to retain Bobby McCain, JD McKisisc, Cam Sims and Joey Slye, among others.
The only outside addition has come in the form of Andrew Norwell, a former All-Pro guard under Ron Rivera in Carolina who figures to add both stability and veteran leadership to the left guard position in Flowers’ surprising wake.
It’s unclear what the Commanders’ next steps will be, but we like to think these three moves are in their future plans. Full disclosure, these are realistic moves. The front office has maintained a low profile throughout free agency and these potential moves align with their current conservative approach.
3 realistic moves for Commanders in free agency
3. Sign Star Lotulelei
Anytime a player with previous ties to Ron Rivera hits the open market, you have to assume Washington is interested. With the team suddenly in desperate need of depth on the interior of the defensive line, and the recently-released Star Lotulelei makes a ton of sense as an insurance add for the Commanders.
At 32 years old, Lotulelei would fit in perfectly behind Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne. In three years with Buffalo (he opted out of 2020), the former first-round pick finished with 53 tackles, five sacks, eight tackles for loss and a run stop win rate of 27.2%, which is about league average for the nose tackle position.
Given the physical demands of the position, defensive tackles are heavily rotated in games. Just last season, Allen and Payne played 70 percent and 76 percent of the snaps, respectively, so there’s plenty of snaps to go around.
With Tim Settle (Bills) and Matt Ioannidis (Panthers) no longer in the picture, signing Lotulelei seems written in the stars for Washington. The eight-year pro has five years of experience playing under Rivera and would fill a huge need.
If for some reason Lotulelei isn’t seen as a fit, there’s plenty of veteran defensive tackles still braving free agency. The most intriguing of the bunch include Sheldon Richardson, Linval Joseph, Malik Jackson and Akiem Hicks.
2. Re-sign Cornelius Lucas
The Commanders are set at left and right tackle for next season, but there’s no room for complacency in the NFL. After all, 2021 second-rounder Sam Cosmi was limited to just nine games as a rookie due to injury.
While left tackle Charles Leno hasn’t missed a start since 2016, can you really bank on that trend continuing into the future? The former Pro Bowler will turn 31 in October and the law of averages suggests he’s due to miss time.
Regardless, re-signing Cornelius Lucas should one of the front office’s top remaining priorities in free agency. That could prove difficult, however, as Lucas is no longer one of the league’s best-kept secrets among offensive linemen.
According to Pro Football Focus, Lucas has logged three straight seasons of a 72.2 player grade or better while playing at least 500 snaps. During that span, he’s allowed just seven QB hits and his 79.8 pass-blocking grade ranks 25th at the tackle position. Pretty impressive for someone who split time at left and right tackle.
While Lucas is still testing the market, ESPN’s John Keim understands the Commanders have kept in touch with Lucas. That suggests they have interest in re-signing the veteran swing tackle, and that’s great news for a team that can’t afford to be short on OL depth after last season’s injury overload.
Re-sign Lucas, then focus on signing outside free agents.
1. Re-sign DeAndre Carter
DeAndre Carter was one of several feel-good stories on Washington’s roster last campaign. As a lifetime return specialist, the former undrafted free agent was thrust into a larger-than-expected role as a receiver and exceeded expectations.
For someone who had 34 career receptions coming into the season, Carter compiled 24 catches for 296 yards and three touchdowns. All of those marked career-highs and his three TDs ranked second on the team behind Terry McLaurin. Of his 24 catches, 17 (or 70.8 percent) went for first downs.
As a kickoff returner, Carter was as good as advertised. His 25.11 yards per return ranked third in the league and his 904 return yards finished second. He wasn’t nearly as effective as a punt returner, but that’s not his speciality.
In a vacuum, Carter was a diamond in the rough signing for Washington last offseason and they shouldn’t let him leave after an overachieving year. Better yet? The 28-year-old’s infectious personality clearly resonated in the locker room and you have to think teams have a newfound appreciation for his versatility.
The million-dollar question, of course, is what Carter’s market looks like after fellow return specialists Braxton Berrios, Ray-Ray McCloud and Cordarrelle Patterson all signed in the range of $10-12 million. If Carter’s value checks in between $7-10 million, we hope the Commanders acquiesce and bring him back.