Commanders depth chart, upcoming free agents and major roster issues for the 2024 offseason

Let’s get a head start on the 2024 offseason planning

Nearly blank canvas

GM Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn take over a team with a roster that is largely an empty slate. The team has 49 players under contract, but only seven of those players have cap hits of $5m or more in 2024, and only 4 players — Charles Leno, Terry McLaurin, Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen — are locked into contracts with cap hits in excess of $15m. This is Leno’s last year under contract, while Allen has just two years left on his.

In short, there are really only two players locked into expensive deals beyond 2025, and when you scan the current 49-man offseason roster, it’s easy to see that perhaps 20 names belong to guys who are marginal NFL players that populate backup roles and practice squads spots. They are on short-term, low-dollar, non-guaranteed contracts that make them easily replaceable.

One way to look at the Commanders roster is to think that it is one of the poorest in the NFL. I see it differently. It is the roster that offers the GM and head coach the best opportunity to transform it almost overnight.

What I’m trying to say is that Peters and Quinn will have no problem using the team’s estimated $73.6m in cap space and 9 draft picks to both upgrade the roster and pretty quickly remake it in the form that the front office and coaches are striving for.

Let’s get a look at the roster, then talk about each position group one-by-one.

The numbers that appear beside some players’ names are 2023 cap hits per Over the Cap.

Please note that assigned positions and color coding are my own personal opinions. They do not necessarily represent the thinking of Washington’s coaches or front office, nor are they necessarily consistent with fan consensus. This chart represents my personal interpretation, and may not reflect the thoughts of other writers on Hogs Haven. Finally, when it comes to backup players, I don’t put much effort into making sure that they are on the right or left or behind the specific player that they backup. I mostly just try to fit everyone on the chart efficiently.

Quarterback

Sam Howell is the only quarterback on the roster at the moment with a season’s worth of NFL starting experience. He has started the last 18 games for the Commanders. After getting off to a 3-0 start, he went 2-13 over the final 15 games. While wins & losses aren’t QB stats, it was undeniable that Sam Howell regressed dramatically in the second half of the 2023 season.

This chart shows what Sam Howell accomplished in the first 10 weeks of the season compared to the last 7 weeks. You’ll see that Sam regressed in basically every measured metric except for sacks taken and yards lost to sacks.

With every game the team lost, Sam’s star dimmed a bit more and the team’s draft position crept a bit higher. By season’s end, the Commanders were one of the worst teams in the NFL, finishing with 8 straight losses, and owned the #2 overall pick in the draft — a pick that seems destined to be used on a quarterback.

Roll with Sam Howell
There is a portion of the fan base that thinks the team should roll with Sam Howell again in 2024, trade back from the 2nd overall slot, and use the additional picks acquired in that trade-down to beef up the team. This group of fans either feels that Sam Howell may yet prove that he is the long-term answer at QB in Washington, or that drafting a rookie QB onto a roster as weak as the Commanders is a sure way to waste that young QB’s talent and rookie contract.

Draft one of the top college QBs
I don’t think there’s much doubt that the front office, having put together an offensive coaching staff that features Kliff Kingsbury, Brian Johnson, and Tavita Pritchard, is going to want to put a young and talented quarterback of their own choosing onto the field as soon as possible to begin to grow under a coaching staff that likely has 3 years to prove itself.

It seems to me that Washington will be picking a quarterback at or near the start of the draft in April.

That will give them a very young quarterback room, so look for the coaches to bring in a veteran that they have some familiarity with to help bring the youngster(s) along.

Offensive Line

Left Tackle

A lot of people are calling for Charles Leno to be released, primarily as a move to open up cap space. The team would save only $7.3m in cap space by cutting Leno, and that’s probably not enough to sign an upgrade. The front office is going to be trying to plug a lot of holes; my feeling is that left tackle is going to be far enough down the priority list that Leno will come to camp and compete to keep his job. I think the team will either try to draft and develop a player to take over for Leno, or simply wait until 2025 to try to replace him.

Likely additions: There is some chance that the team will see an opportunity to upgrade in free agency, but that will be expensive enough that I believe they’ll wait a year and ‘build through the draft’.

Left Guard

Saahdiq Charles is a free agent, and I can’t see a new front office and coaching staff having any reason to try to keep him. Chris Paul may be serviceable, and with no real salary cap benefit to cutting Andrew Wylie, I could see the veteran staying on the roster to compete for the LG spot or provide depth at both Guard and Right Tackle despite how poorly he played in 2023.

Likely additions: I wouldn’t be shocked to see a veteran free agent signed (especially one with ties to Kingsbury or Johnson), and I strongly expect the team to draft a rookie guard who can compete in camp for this role.

Center

Ricky Stromberg spent most of his rookie season on IR, so it’s hard to know whether he’ll be ready to start for the team. Nick Gates was atrocious in 2023 and needs to be released before the start of the new league year.

Likely additions: I doubt whether the new coaching staff will feel confident about Stromberg without seeing him on the field in pads, so I expect to see them bring in a veteran center with experience playing in Kingsbury’s or Johnson’s offense.

Right Guard

Sam Cosmi was the best offensive lineman on the team in 2023. He will be the clear starter here, but

Likely additions: look for the team to add depth through either free agency or the draft.

Right Tackle
The Andrew Wylie experiment was a failure. Washington has some backup-quality tackles, but no one that can step up and start.

Likely additions: I expect that Washington will use one of its 2nd round picks (#36 or #40) to draft a rookie who can compete for the starting job. Re-signing Cornelius Lucas or a veteran from another team should provide a backup plan in case the rookie isn’t up to the challenge of starting in ‘24.

Tight End

I am in the minority of Washington fans who think that Logan Thomas is a good tight end and a player that coaches will want on the roster. I do think that his $8.2m cap hit (6th highest on the team behind Andrew Wylie) is a big number for the 33-year-old. As with Leno at Left Tackle, I think the Commanders are going to look at the number of roster holes they have to fill, and, instead of cutting Thomas, will renegotiate his contract to a more realistic number. I think Logan Thomas would rather stay than go, and I doubt he’d get a substantial contract in free agency. My feeling is that he’ll agree to a pay cut to get another year in the NFL.

Based on the little we had seen of him, I was expecting big things from Armani Rogers before he tore his Achilles tendon during OTAs last year. With well over a year to recover, I’m hoping that he can help provide depth and some pass-catching skill for the Commanders in 2024, though I understand that Kliff Kingsbury’s offense may not feature tight ends as much as we’ve been used to in recent years in Washington.

John Bates is a decent blocker and a serviceable pass catcher who is on a pretty cheap rookie contract.

After a big buildup during OTAs and training camp, Cole Turner seemed to have done something to get in the coaches’ dog house last season. I got the feeling that if Rivera hadn’t been a lame-duck, he might’ve cut Turner. Instead, the 2nd-year tight end was relegated to the inactive list nearly every week. I’m hoping that the new coaching staff will be able to connect with the third-year tight end and make use of his promising skill set.

Likely additions: Once again, unlike most informed commentators, I think the roster has more pressing needs than tight end in 2024, but if the front office and coaches see an opportunity to upgrade the room, I think they should (and will) take it. There are a few interesting veteran TEs slated for free agency, but after some of them re-sign with their current teams, there probably won’t be much help available in free agency, so Adam Peters may need to work some of his mid- to late-round draft magic to bolster the tight end group.

Wide Receiver

With Terry McLaurin costing $24m in cap space this year (and $25m next year) the Commanders won’t be signing any Mike Evans-type free agents who will require mega-contracts.

I expect the coaches to try to get Jahan Dotson back on track, and to see Adam Peters try to find a mid-round hidden gem that can add some upside to Washington’s receiver room.

Dyami Brown and Brycen Tremayne offer some depth at the 4th/5th receiver slots, and I wouldn’t be unhappy to see the team re-sign Jamison Crowder, who is a free agent, to another 1-year deal.

Likely additions: I expect the coaches to bring in one or two receivers they’ve worked with before who can help teach the route concepts to the rest of the receiver room. I’m expecting two new receivers with upside potential and a handful of UDFAs to come to camp in July to give Kingsbury a chance to add some explosiveness to the receiver room…on a budget.

Running Back

Brian Robinson and Chris Rodriguez offer a solid foundation for the running back group.

While I like Antonio Gibson, I expect that he’ll sign with another team in free agency.

Likely additions: I expect Adam Peters to use a mid-round pick on a rookie who will complement the existing backs and add some explosiveness to the offensive attack.

Defensive Tackle

This is probably the only truly solid position group on the roster. While Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne did not have the kind of year that was expected in 2023, I imagine the new group of defensive coaches is likely to reinvigorate them.

Because Allen seemed disgruntled for most of the ‘23 season, there was a lot of speculation about trading him and his $21m cap hit to another team (saving $9.4m against the 2024 salary cap in so doing).

This is not the optimal move IF Allen can return to his 2022 form, and Allen has certainly tried to remediate his in-season comments every time a microphone has been in his face since the end of the season.

John Ridgeway adds stoutness to the group as a backup, and fans will be hoping that the new coaching staff can unleash whatever potential former 2nd round pick Phil Mathis has kept hidden throughout his career in Washington.

Likely additions: With so much money tied up on the interior defensive line already, I don’t expect any veteran free agents signed for much more than a league minimum contract. Look for a mid- to late-round draft pick to bolster this unit.

DE/Edge

Washington turned this area of roster strength (Montez Sweat and Chase Young) into a roster hole with a pair of mid-season trades.

Last year’s drafted rookies, KJ Henry and Andre Jones, played okay in late season games. Expect both of them to compete for roster spots again in 2024.

Likely additions: The team needs to replace the lost production. I expect one of the team’s splashier free agency moves to be at edge rusher / OLB, and I would think a 2nd or 3rd round pick will likely be used to get a rookie with some talent and upside potential.

Three reliable backups — James Smith-Williams, Casey Toohill and Efe Obada — are all free agents. While I wouldn’t rule out any of them returning, it seems more likely that the new defensive coaching staff will sign a veteran or two that they are familiar with from previous teams.

Linebacker

If defensive tackle is the deepest and most talented position group on the roster, linebacker is almost certainly the most depleted. The cupboard is nearly bare.

Jamin Davis comprises the team’s only legitimate NFL linebacker.

Likely additions: While Khaleke Hudson has been popular with fans, he is a free agent, and the new coaching staff will have no history with him. I would expect Peters and Quinn to mine free agency for a couple of experienced off-the-ball linebackers that can compete for starting roles, and to add at least one drafted rookie to develop and play special teams.

As with the roster in general, the lack of players here provides the opportunity to remake the unit in one fell swoop.

Cornerback

One of the few pending free agents from the current roster that I believe Peters and Quinn may be motivated to re-sign is Kendall Fuller. He is from the area and enjoys living near the rest of his family. Fuller is one of the most highly-rated NFL cornerbacks slated to enter 2024 free agency. Washington’s defense will be better with him than without him. I will be surprised if the team lets him walk without a contract offer, and I’ll be surprised if Fuller wants to leave if he has the option to stay.

Benjamin St-Juste and Emmanuel Forbes have both struggled in their short careers. They will need some good coaching from the new staff to improve technique and production. Having Dan Quinn as the head coach and Joe Whitt as defensive coordinator probably optimizes the opportunities for both players to get untracked.

Likely additions: I think Adam Peters is going to use some of the $73m in available 2024 cap space to sign another high-end CB in veteran free agency. I also expect him to use a mid- to late-round draft pick to grab another developmental boundary corner.

Safety

I mentioned that I think Peters may want to re-sign Kendall Fuller; the only pending free agent I have rated ahead of Fuller as a priority re-signing is safety Kamren Curl.

We’ve heard for 4 years how smart Curl is and how much he adds to the defense due to his ability to move around the field. Curl is the kind of field general that the new coaching staff should find valuable. I think that he’ll agree to a contract extension before the start of free agency in mid-March.

Top salaries for safeties under contract

You can look at the list and decide for yourself where Curl’s contract should slot in. Personally, I’d offer him a 4-year deal, and I wouldn’t worry too much about overpaying him by a couple of million per season. Keep in mind that, as a 7th round pick, Curl’s total career earnings on his rookie contract have added up to only about $5.4m per OTC.

With Kamren Curl, Washington’s safety group looks pretty good; without him, it looks more problematic. He’s earned a good payday.

Darrick Forrest was lost to a shoulder injury in Week 6 last year. That really hurt the defense; Forrest is a good young player who should be able to contribute in 2024.

Rookie Quan Martin is a safety and slot defender who got off to a slow start as a rookie in ‘23, but he seemed to get more comfortable and improve throughout the year, finishing with a couple of strong performances. I think the new defensive coaches are going to like him and find ways to use him on the field.

Percy Butler provides depth and special teams help.

Likely additions: the unit needs at least one more talented safety who can either upgrade the starting unit, or be capable of stepping in when there is an injury. In addition to re-signing Curl, I think that Adam Peters can look for that depth player in either the draft or veteran free agency.

Special Teams

Tress Way is the longest-tenured player to have been on the roster continuously, and he offers a lot. He is a good punter, a valuable member of the locker room, an active member of the DMV community, and very popular with fans. There’s no reason for the new special teams coach to create a need where none exists now. Expect Tress Way to hold down the punting duties for at least one more season.

The long-snapper is Tucker Addington.

Likely additions: The new special teams coach, Larry Izzo, may have a guy he wants to bring in to replace Washington’s long snapper; otherwise, Addington is under contract through 2025.

Kicker Joey Slye is a free agent. He’s kind of a “league average” kicker, so it wouldn’t surprise me if Izzo were to bring in a guy he’s worked with before that he has confidence in, or if Peters were to bring in a kicker fresh from college to compete for the job.