4 pending Commanders free agents who could be surprisingly re-signed in 2024

Jamison Crowder - Commanders WR/KR

Less than a week before the 2023 opener, Jamison Crowder was not on an NFL roster. The Washington Commanders signed him because one of the many young wide receivers they were hoping to develop - Dax Milne - was not performing well as either a pass-catcher or as a punt returner.

They scooped up the veteran, who had entered the league in 2015 as a Washington draft pick. He was playing less than a week later.

Crowder’s possible return is entirely predicated on the Commanders' failure to draft and grow young wideouts. That failure caused Washington to bring in both the veteran and Byron Pringle just before the season.

I have always liked Pringle, but Crowder makes more sense at this point. The former returns kickoffs, a role which will soon be extinct in the NFL. The latter returns punts, which still matters a lot.

Pringle can play both outside and in the slot, while Crowder is a pure slot receiver. As such, he remains a reliable target. He has the highest catch rate of any Commanders receiver this season, at over 80 percent - albeit in a very small sample size.

If Eric Bieniemy ends up with the Chicago Bears in 2024, I suspect Pringle will follow him there. Unless the Commanders can identify a younger player like Kazmeir Allen to assume Crowder’s role, I think he could be back.