3 free agents who could immediately start for the Commanders in 2023
By Dean Jones
Which remaining free agents sitting on the veteran market could immediately fill starting roles on the Washington Commanders in 2023?
Signing players capable of providing immediate contributions has been difficult for the Washington Commanders. Things are tight on their salary cap and with the ownership in flux, moving financial resources around is proving complicated until Josh Harris' group officially receives NFL approval on their $6.05 billion franchise purchase.
The Commanders gave themselves a little extra breathing space by releasing Chase Roullier with a post-June 1 injury designation. This leaves them with $11.57 million to spend according to Over the Cap, although they need to keep some back for in-season moves and must also sign Emmanuel Forbes and Quan Martin - their top two picks from the 2023 NFL Draft.
That said, Ron Rivera could explore some options if he feels like it can benefit the franchise in 2023. Something he'd be wise to contemplate with his long-term job prospects hanging in the balance.
With that in mind here are three veteran free agents that could immediately start in problem positions for the Commanders in 2023.
Commanders could sign Brett Maher (K)
There is no competition on the roster for Joey Slye currently. The Washington Commanders are taking a monumental risk by moving forward with the inconsistent kicker, who has close ties to Ron Rivera and doesn't deserve a free run to the No. 1 job again in 2023.
Slye has been too erratic in key moments. And yet, the Commanders seem happy enough to enter training camp with nobody pushing the former Virginia Tech star for his spot.
That is something they could alter by signing Brett Maher. While he hasn't been perfect by any stretch, there were notable improvements made to his production last season - so one could argue he'd been an immediate upgrade heading into a critical 2023 campaign for Washington.
Rivera keeping blind faith with Slye obviously has some sentiment attached. So the chances of signing Maher or another kicker despite the benefits appear slim.