6 free agent interior offensive linemen the Commanders could sign in 2024

Commanders could sign Ezra Cleveland

A nagging foot injury precipitated a rather quick fall from grace for Ezra Cleveland with the Minnesota Vikings. They chose him in the second round of the 2020 draft and he had been a solid left guard for them. In 2022, Pro Football Focus rated him in the top 10 amongst guards league-wide.

That injury, combined with his apparent eagerness to test the free agent market, led the Vikings to essentially give him away to the Jacksonville Jaguars before the trade deadline. Dalton Risner filled in admirably in Cleveland’s absence, and the Vikings just took a sixth-round pick in exchange for a quality starter.

He never really regained form in 2023, but Cleveland should enter the 2024 season injury-free and looking to prove himself. The subpar 2023 campaign will knock his price down a little bit, so he would slot in after Kevin Dotson in terms of required compensation.

Cleveland makes a lot of sense for the Washington Commanders. He is still only 25 and plays on the left side. Therefore, there is no conflict if Sam Cosmi remains at the right guard spot.

Like Cosmi, Cleveland has a tall frame and played left tackle at Boise State. He might be able to make the transition to tackle. This is something the Commanders will be needing soon.

As with Dotson, a lineup that has Cosmi and Cleveland playing guard would be attractive but also financially unbalanced. However, if either player can move outside, it would create a very reasonable salary structure and constitute a significant upgrade in terms of both youth and talent.