9 players the Commanders might claim after final roster cuts in 2023

Which players could the Washington Commanders potentially get their hands on after final cuts have been confirmed around the NFL?

I don’t know whether or not I will write a standard roster projection for the 2023 Washington Commanders before their final cuts. We’ve got other guys here who are better suited to do it. But I will offer one piece of advice to anyone putting together a roster projection. Leave a line or two blank.

There’s a very good chance the Commanders' opening day roster will have a player or two not currently on the team. In other words, the original 53 won't be the 53.

It's not a guarantee. The Commanders now have a roster that is deeper and more talented than any they have had in the past decade. That means they are less desperate to scoop up castoffs from other teams.

Major questions at quarterback and offensive line may temper expectations for the upcoming season. But this is a franchise headed in the right direction both on and off the field.

Still, there are multiple positional weak spots, and Washington will be studying the waiver wire to grab anyone who might provide depth. They have added a few key players in each of the past four seasons late into the summer and will strive to do so again if those in power feel it can help.

In 2019, it was Donald Penn, lured out of retirement in July to shore up the train wreck at left tackle. With the brief exception of Geron Christian in 2020, everyone who has played left tackle for the Commanders over the past five seasons has been a free-agent acquisition - though Cornelius Lucas and Charles Leno, Jr. were signed earlier in the cycle.

In 2020, the Commanders snatched Casey Toohill after the Philadelphia Eagles waived him a month into the season. Last year, cornerback Rachad Wildgoose arrived just before the start of the campaign, and defensive tackle John Ridgeway was also acquired.

There’s a decent chance another player like that is destined to wear Commanders colors within the next few weeks. Let’s look at a few possibilities.

And let’s do this systematically. How, you ask?

First, we look at groups where the Commanders need help. Then we go around the league and identify teams who are well-stocked at that position and who are likely to release a quality player or two.

I have three such teams – and nine such players – for you to keep an eye on.