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

Commanders could sing Mark Glowinski

I can hear New York Giants fans laughing. Then again, they have been laughing ever since Dan Quinn decided to hire Bobby Johnson to be the new Washington Commanders' offensive line coach.

Mark Glowinski was part of the protection that was arguably worse than the Commanders line last season. Not only that, the veteran guard was benched. And he was benched by Johnson, who many fans blamed for the disaster.

So why would Washington want to sign a 32-year-old journeyman who was benched last year by their new offensive line coach? Well, in part because the Commanders are in desperate need of linemen. And in part because Glowinski has been a solid, serviceable player for his entire career.

After a disastrous beginning to the season, Glowinski returned later in the year and performed as he typically has throughout his career. He wasn’t great, but he was pretty good. That could be an asset for the Commanders.

Johnson, despite choosing to bench Glowinski, continued to speak very highly of the veteran and expressed his appreciation when injury forced him back into the lineup. He should not come to Washington as a projected starter. Sam Cosmi will probably be playing right guard for the Commanders in 2024, and either Ricky Stromberg or a soon-to-be-drafted rookie may be starting at left guard.

Glowinski would be an ideal swing guard. It is the role that Wes Schweitzer played pretty well for Washington in 2020-21. Having a reliable veteran to provide offensive line depth won’t solve all of the Commanders' protection issues, but it would be a small step toward improving the line.

That’s largely what salary-cap cuts can provide. Small fixes. Short-term patches. The Commanders have a lot of major decisions to make this offseason. Getting some of these smaller ones right will also pay dividends.