4 critical draft needs the Commanders must resolve in 2024
By Dean Jones
Commanders need a long-term TE
Logan Thomas was released to save more than $6 million against the salary cap. This didn't come as a great shock, but the Washington Commanders had a replacement already lined up in the form of Zach Ertz.
The experienced tight end worked closely with Commanders' offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury during their time with the Arizona Cardinals. He didn't play much football last season and is firmly in the twilight of his career, so acquiring another capable pass-catching presence from the college level is something for those in power to contemplate depending on what options become available.
Washington has Armani Rogers and Cole Turner, who didn't feature much last season through injury and a lack of confidence from the previous coaching staff respectively. Whether Kingsbury wants to get another look at both is debatable, but it wouldn't be a shock to see a potential long-term option at the tight end position come in at some stage during the 2024 NFL Draft.
This isn't projected to be an especially deep group. That said, general manager Adam Peters was part of the brain trust that identified George Kittle as a future star. If he can find a diamond in the rough from his first draft as Washington's front-office leader, it'll give Kingsbury's offense a huge lift.