5 players the Commanders gave up on too soon during 2024 offseason

K.J. Henry - Commanders DE

There weren't many surprises when the Washington Commanders began to whittle down their roster from 90 players to an initial 53. One stood out above all else.

The Commanders decided to waive edge rusher K.J. Henry despite his encouraging progress throughout the offseason. He was comfortably Washington's best pass-rusher during the preseason. This was in keeping with the way he applied himself to training camp drills.

Unfortunately, that was not an opinion shared by those in power.

Washington's new regime valued the guys they brought into the organization more. That's the long and short of it because, on production alone, Henry's name should have been on the 53-man squad.

Although it was disappointing for Henry, everything worked out well. He was expected to draw interest on the waiver wire and got claimed by the Cincinnati Bengals. The former Clemson star landed on a potential Super Bowl challenger in Year 2 of his professional career, so it'll be interesting to see how he fares.

Jahan Dotson - Commanders WR

Jahan Dotson was a first-round selection expected to be the perfect complimentary piece opposite Pro Bowl wide receiver Terry McLaurin. The Washington Commanders didn't have much consistent production under center to speak of over his first two seasons in the league. However, hopes remained high that he could firmly establish himself and break out under the new regime.

Dotson's production over training camp was decent enough, but the Commanders didn't see the Penn State product as a good fit within Kliff Kingsbury's offense. Couple this with the emergence of veteran free-agent signing Olamide Zaccheaus and third-round rookie Luke McCaffrey, those in power decided to remove him from the equation entirely.

The Commanders traded Dotson to the Philadelphia Eagles together with a fifth-round pick for their third-round selection in the 2025 NFL Draft. Moving him to a division rival was strange, although it's also worth remembering that Adam Peters has done business with Howie Roseman already this offseason.

Perhaps giving Dotson a chance to shine during the regular season would have been beneficial. If things didn't work out, there was always the option of trading him before the 2024 deadline.

Peters decided to act now. Whether he comes to regret it or not remains to be seen.

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