Washington Commanders Free Agency Blueprint Part 1

The Washington Commanders 2022 season ended a few days ago and now the process of evaluating pending free agents and studying college prospects begins in earnest.

Another season is in the history books for the Washington Commanders and the front office will now shift into offseason mode immediately. Before we know it, the college all-star games will be featured on our big screens and the Combine will follow very soon thereafter. Free agency will be here in just a few weeks (March 15, 4pm EDT) and the 2023 NFL season will be open for business.

If the Commanders continue to operate in the same manner as the last few seasons, they will not be major players in free agency. However, it doesn’t mean that Commanders Park will be a ghost town either. Decisions must be made with regard to their own pending free agents and roster adjustments will also dictate that some players are released.

Welcome to our very first free agency update for the 2023 season with our first blueprint for the new year. The blueprint for 2023 will look slightly different this year. We have eliminated some of the excesses and focused on the qualitative aspects for this offseason. Depending on how active the Commanders will be in free agency, we could have three or four updates just prior to the season opener – this update today, possibly two in the spring, and one following the final roster of 53 announcement later in the summer. Let’s jump right in with our first look!

Note: Our free agency blueprints will allow you to keep updated with your own tracking during the long offseason. Feel free to print it out or save it on your hard drives and use it as your own personal reference in the coming months.

Current Roster

Unrestricted Free Agents

• Wes Schweitzer, Offensive Guard/Center
• Jon Bostic, Linebacker
• Danny Johnson, Cornerback
• Daron Payne, Defensive Tackle
• Cole Holcomb, Linebacker
• Trai Turner, Offensive Guard
• Cam Sims, Wide Receiver
• Taylor Heinicke, Quarterback
• Tyler Larsen, Center/Offensive Guard
• Efe Obada, Defensive End
• David Mayo, Linebacker
• Jonathan Williams, Running Back
• Nate Gerry, Linebacker
• Nick Martin, Center
• Wes Martin, Offensive Guard

Players to focus on in this group includes Daron Payne, Cole Holcomb, Taylor Heinicke, Tyler Larsen, Danny Johnson, and Wes Schweitzer. Look for most or all of these players to return.

Futures Contracts

• Alex Armah, Fullback

More futures contracts are likely to be signed in the coming days and that will be updated in Part II.

Franchise Tag

This section will be updated in Part II – if necessary.

Restricted Free Agents

• Jeremy Reaves, Safety/Special Teams
• Khaleke Hudson, Linebacker/Special Teams
• Exclusive Rights Free Agents
• Milo Eifler, Linebacker/Special Teams
• Rachad Wildgoose, Cornerback/Special Teams
• Alex Akingbulu, Offensive Tackle
• Eli Wolf, Tight End
• Benning Potoa’e, Defensive Tackle

Contract Extensions

This section will be updated in Part II.

Exercised Option

• Montez Sweat, Defensive End – Fifth-year option for 2023

Injured Reserve

None at this time.

Trades

This section will be updated in Part II – if necessary.

Restructure Contract Candidates

• Jonathan Allen, Defensive Tackle
• Terry McLaurin, Wide Receiver

Restructures are unlikely during this offseason. If it happens, Allen and McLaurin could be targeted.

Players Released, Free Agent Additions, Offseason Thoughts

Free Agents Obtained

This section will be updated in Part II.

Players Waived/Released

This section will be updated in Part II.

2023 Dead Money Contracts

• William Jackson, $9M
• Landon Collins, $5.03M

Dead money could increase depending on who is released.

Possible Release Candidates

• Carson Wentz, Quarterback
• J.D. McKissic, Running Back
• Saahdiq Charles, Offensive Tackle

There is a 99.9% chance that Wentz will be released. That will give the Commanders $26M in salary cap space with no dead money whatsoever.

Free Agents Obtained

This section will be updated in Part II.

Offseason Thoughts

• The firing of Scott Turner came as a surprise to many analysts and the local beat media, but this could signal a change in favor of the offense for this offseason.
• Could a new offensive coordinator look to have the team ultra-focused on free agency and become quite active? It’s possible, but not too likely.
• We don’t know how the owner transition will play out or how it could impact free agency, but the front office is very likely to commit to a plan and stick to it.
• The Washington Commanders are likely to add a small amount of depth in free agency. Linebacker, defensive line, defensive secondary, and the offensive line could receive some depth pieces in the spring and summer.
• In addition to the blueprints over the coming months, there will be periodic free agency updates as warranted.

There is the first free agency blueprint for 2023. Part II will be here in mid-March and contain many more updates. See you as we go along.