5 early salary-cap cuts the Commanders could target in 2024

Which players subject to early salary-cap release could the Washington Commanders potentially look to add in 2024?

As you would expect from a team with serious roster problems, the Washington Commanders' results during free agency over the past four years have been underwhelming. One of the curious, maddening takeaways from the previous regime’s performance is how much better they seemed to do with the throw-away signings than with the big-ticket deals.

At the beginning of the free agency period in recent years, the Commanders would ink a few premium players. These, presumably, were the men Washington had thoroughly scouted and strategized over. Players like William Jackson III, Andrew Norwell, Cody Barton, and Nick Gates.

You know what happened with those players.

Then there were the cast-offs - players that became available later in the offseason when their teams decided to move on. This happens every year in the aftermath of the draft. A few more veterans hit the market. That’s how Washington picked up Charles Leno Jr. and Bobby McCain.

They were tossed away by their previous teams. They ended up being valuable contributors for the Commanders - oftentimes more valuable than the players Washington snapped up early in the free agency period.

We are all hoping that Adam Peters and his crew will do a better job of scouting and strategizing over free agents. They have been studying hundreds of players who are scheduled to be available. They no doubt have their sights set on a few big names.

As happens every year in the weeks before signings begin, teams have been preparing by cutting veterans who no longer fit into their plans. These are usually tagged as salary cap casualties. Some of them will turn out to be godsends for other teams in need.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at five recent cuts that might find a home on the Commanders in 2024.