5 free-agent linebackers for the Commanders to consider in 2023

Commanders should consider Jayon Brown

I was very high on Jayon Brown prior to the 2021 season. He seemed to be exactly what the Washington Commanders could use. A tough, young linebacker who had a lot of experience playing on a quality Tennessee Titan team.

He had only played inside in 3-4 schemes, but I figured that is exactly what the Commanders had in Jon Bostic, and Brown could develop into a better long-term option.  There was some concern that he was coming off an injury, but he had stayed mostly healthy up to that point, so I figured the 2020 injury was an aberration.

It wasn’t. Brown’s career has been undermined by a stream of injuries over the past two seasons. He hasn’t played especially well and has missed a lot of games. So any potential signing comes with strings attached.

But it may be worth the gamble. If he is fully recovered, Brown would seem like an ideal fit to provide Jamin Davis and Cody Barton with experienced support.

He has always been good in coverage and has started almost as many games as all of Washington’s current backups combined. I would not feel comfortable bringing in a player like Brown and expecting him to step right into the starting lineup. But he strikes me as a potentially valuable backup on a team in desperate need of depth.